Frozen Airspace
by Ex-Shark-Virtue-005
Summary: Tieria stuggles to deal with the events that took place at the end of Gundam 00 season one. This takes place during the time skip so spoilers are present. Full Summary inside. Slightly Tieria/Lockon. Rating for language.
1. Too Much To Handle

Konnichiwa Minna-san! This is my first Gundam 00 fic. This story takes place two years after episode twenty-five of the first season. There are spoilers in this fic, you have been warned.

Summary:

Tieria struggles to deal with the disappearances of Setsuna and Allelujah and the death of Lockon. So he works himself to exhaustion and on a mission over The Former United States and Canada that exhaustion gets the better of him and he crashes.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Gundam 00, but the plot, Shinead and Devon are mine.

Happy Reading

* * *

Chapter One: Too Much to Handle

"Tieria Erde, launching test Gundam 03,"

"Be careful Tieria," Sumeragi said, "You'll be searching the northern part of the former United states and southern part of the former Canada."

"Roger," Tieria said as he switched the communication line off

Sumeragi sighed, "He's so stubborn," She said, "This is his fourth search mission this week. He can't keep this up."

"He took the disappearance of Setsuna and Allelujah very hard," Feldt said, "And Lockon's death really affected him as well. He really didn't look well earlier."

"He hasn't looked well in a while," Sumeragi said "Since that whole…incident…he hasn't been right."

"I haven't really seen him around the dining hall lately," Lasse said, "I mean I see him there maybe once every day or two, unless he goes when no one else is there…"

"Not hungry, not hungry," The Orange Haro in Feldt's arms said

"He's been spending a lot of time with the Gundams," Ian said, "The other morning he was leaving the hangar as I was entering it at about five am. When I asked him if he had just gotten there and he told me he had been in there for a while. Then when I asked him if he had been in there all night he just responded: 'so what if I have.'"

"Can't sleep, can't sleep," Haro said

Feldt's and Sumeragi's eyes widened, "Oh shit," Sumeragi said as Feldt ran from the bridge, "Tieria…"

"Tieria, Tieria," Haro said as it floated around the Bridge, "Oh shit, oh shit."

* * *

Feldt sat on the ground outside the bridge, "Tieria," she whispered as she cried, "Why do you have to be so stupid?"

* * *

Flashback Feldt

'_Tieria!"_

_Tieria turned around and was nearly knocked over by Feldt, "Feldt…"_

"_Don't leave," Feldt Cried, "Please don't leave."_

"_Feldt I have to," Tieria said_

"_No you don't" Feldt cried, "I saw the mission plan. Searching the former United States is dangerous. Please Tieria, stay here."_

"_I'm going to try to bring our bothers back," Tieria said_

_Feldt gasped and let go of Tieria then he walked away, "Tieria, please come back safely."_

"_Don't worry," Tieria said before entering the hangar, "I will."_

* * *

Feldt stood up and reentered the bridge, "I can't believe you let him go!" Feldt yelled

"Feldt, do you honestly think I would have let him go if I knew that he hasn't been eating or sleeping well?" Sumeragi yelled back, "I swear to _god_ when he gets back there will be hell to pay!"

"Hell to pay, hell to pay!" Haro chipped in

"Tell him to abort mission!" Feldt said

"He's too damn stubborn and too much of a pain in the ass to abort!" Sumeragi said

"The way Tieria is he would probably do something stupid if he found out we knew," Ian said, "He would accuse us of meddling in his business."

"Feldt I want you to open a communications line," Sumeragi said, "I was audio only on his end and full audio and video on ours."

"Roger," Feldt said, "Tieria, we're running a communications test, we'll be keeping the line open."

"_Roger," _Tieria responded

Sumeragi muted the communications line, "Dammit, I'm so stupid!" She cried, "Why didn't I notice before?"

"Tieria keeps to himself a lot," Feldt said, "And he probably didn't want us to know about his health. It's not just you, none of us noticed but today he really looked sick."

"He's entering Union Airspace," Ian said

Feldt reopened the communication, "You're entering Union Airspace," She said, "Be careful."

"_Roger_," Tieria said

* * *

"An unknown vessel just entered our airspace,"

"Shoot it down! It might be one of those damn Gundams!"

"Should we pursue it?"

"No just shoot it! If it is one of those Gundams we don't stand a chance!"

"Roger!"

* * *

Feldt watched a Tieria's head began to dip and she sighed, "Tieria," She called and his head snapped up, "Keep your eyes open. You're in enemy territory."

"Tieria," Sumeragi said, "We're picking something up on the radar, stay alert."

"_Roger,_" Tieria responded

Feldt switched the line to mute, "His body is shutting down on him," She said, "He can't keep this up. He didn't want me to tell anyone but I can't stay quiet about it, the other day I found him unconscious in the observation room."

"He fainted in the hangar the other day," Ian said, "I found him facedown in front of the Dynames. I thought that maybe the memory of Lockon's death was too much for him. I didn't even think that the reason he had fainted was because he was sick."

"Now that you mention it," Lasse said, "The other day I was walking by his room and I heard something hit the ground. As I got closer I noticed that his door was open and when I looked inside, he was lying on the floor near his bed. I thought maybe he had fallen off his bed while taking a nap or something. It never occurred to me that Tieria is not one to sleep during the day."

"I saw him faint once," Feldt said, "I was going to talk to him and he…just collapsed. I tired to wake him but he wasn't responding to me. I stayed there until he woke up about two hours later."

"Dammit!" Sumeragi yelled, "He's in no condition to be out there!"

Feldt opened the communication line, "Tieria we're aborting mission," When there was no response she called again, "Tieria we're going to abort the mission! Tieria!"

* * *

Tieria heard the communications line close. He was exhausted and his vision was blurring but he ignored it, he was on a mission. There was a little blip on his radar that if he had been in full form, he would have either avoided it or shot at it. Then before he could react he was being shot at.

"_Tieria…ab…mission…we're…to…mission…_" The com line was cutting in and out, "Tieria!" Then it went dead.

He was then hit two more times, once from the side and once from behind. Not having the strength to hold himself against the seat he slid forward. He bashed his helmet on the consol, shattering his visor and sending a piece of broken glass into his eyelid, barely missing his right eye. Not wanting to crash on a Union military base he kept piloting, his consciousness weakening with each passing moment.

* * *

"Tieria!" Feldt cried as the words "communication lost" flashed across the screen.

"Try to patch another line through!" Sumeragi yelled

"I'm trying," Feldt said, "It's not working. The communications line must be jammed."

"I've got him on radar," Lasse said, "He's still piloting."

Feldt and Sumeragi sighed in both relief and worry, "But how long can he keep going?" Feldt asked

* * *

"The vessel didn't stop, should we follow it?"

"It was a Gundam but it didn't shoot back. Just let him go, I value my life."

* * *

Tieria slowly and carefully removed his helmet. He then put his hand over his right eye and felt the shard. He gripped the piece of glass then carefully removed it, and the little vision he had in that eye was clouded by blood and pain.

//No…// Tieria thought as the vision in his left eye began to dim, //I can't go down here…I'll get…captured…I can't…let that…happen…// Tieria's head dipped as he lost consciousness, //Neil…Dylandi…//

* * *

_//Tieria…you're not going down…not on my watch…//_

* * *

"Tieria's steadily losing altitude," Lasse said

"What?" Sumeragi gasped

"He's got one hundred twenty second until impact," Lasse said

"Is there anyway to stop it?' Sumeragi asked

"I'm trying to override the controls but it's not working," Lasse said

"At that speed…" Feldt muttered, "Tieria will…"

"No way," Sumeragi said as Feldt ran from the room, "Not another one…"

* * *

_//Dammit kid, even when I'm dead, I'm still savin' your ass…There you should be alright now// _The test Gundam that Tieria was piloting was slowed then gently leaned up against a very large boulder formation, _//Take care of yourself, Tieria…//_

* * *

"It's slowed down!" Lasse said, "He's on the ground."

Sumeragi sighed in relief, "Thank goodness…"

There was then a beeping and the words "radar signal lost" flashed across the screen.

"Lasse get it back up now!" Sumeragi yelled, "Dammit I am not going to lose another pilot!"

* * *

It was very cold when Tieria came back into consciousness. //What happened…// He thought, //Am I back on the Ptolemaios?// He opened his eye the cockpit he was in was dark, //Where am I?// He tried to start the test Gundam he was in but it didn't work, the only thing that happened was the cockpit opened. He slowly stood up and was grateful to findthat the only injury he had was the one over his eye. He then stepped out of the Gundam but because of his eye injury his depth perception was off and he fell. When he landed a sharp pain ripped through his left side as he landed on a rock. //I can't…stay here…I won't let them get me…// He slowly stood up and staggered away from the Gundam.

* * *

"Papa, Devon," A young child called, "I'm taking Perro and I'm going to check the traps."

"Be careful Shinead, we don't know what happened yesterday."

"I will papa," The child said before leaving, "Come on Perro!"

* * *

Tieria wandered around for a while before the pain and weakness got the better of him. He fell to the ground and more stabbing pains shot through his side and the gash over his eye began to bleed. //At least they won't get me alive//

* * *

Shinead heard footsteps then they stopped and the sound of something hitting the snow,

"What was that?" Shinead said as she tightened her grip on the hunting gun and the dog's leash, "Whose there? I'm armed!"

"Ta-tasukete…" A weak voice said

Shinead took a few more steps and stopped, "_Un garçon,_" She said, "_Comment allez-vous?_"

* * *

"What was that?" A child's voice sounded, "Whose there? I'm armed!"

"Ta-tasukete…" Tieria muttered weakly. He did know English but the bitter cold and severe pain was making it hard to think. He figured he would trust this child. The Union wouldn't let children fight in the military, that was the Human Reform League's job.

There were a few more footsteps, "_Un garçon," _The child said, "_Comment allez-vous?_"

Tieria slowly lifted his head and a young girl and a dog slid in and out of focus.

"Stay here, Perro," The child said, 'I'm going to get Dev and papa."

Tieria heard the child run off as his head hit the snow again. The dog cautiously padded over to him, sniffed at him a bit, and then went over and rested on his right side in an attempt to keep him warm.

* * *

"Dev, papa," Shinead called as she got back to the house, "There's a boy in the woods…he's hurt!"

"Papa's in the middle of something," Devon said, "What do you need?"

"There's a boy…in the woods…" Shinead panted, "He's hurt…"

"Papa," Devon called, "I'm going to see what's up."

* * *

After a while Tieria could hear more footsteps and the dog perked up and barked. Tieria raised his head and a sharp pain ripped through his left side causing him to cry out in pain.

"_Dev, il y a le garçon,_" The child said in French, "_Je ne sais pas s'il va parler le français._"

"_D'accord,_" Another voice said.

Then just before Tieria lost consciousness, a person with red hair knelt down in front of him.

//My name is Devon, I'm going to help you//

* * *

Well what did you think? It's my first attempt so don't be too hard on me. If it seemed a bit repetitive towards the end it's because the point of view changes between Tieria and Shinead/Devon.

Translations:

_Un garçon: _A boy

_Comment allez-vous? _Are you alright?

_Il y a le garçon; _There's the boy

_Je ne sais pas s'il va parler le français. _I don't know if he speaks French

_D'accord: _Okay

Tasukete- Help

If the switching between French and English is too difficult to understand, just let me know and I'll just use English.

_Ex-Shark7_


	2. Painful Nightmares

* * *

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back after a sort of hiatus, college has taken my life. Well this chapter has some…rather…colorful language. Italics are used for dreams, normal text in the dreams is for Tieria's, and slashes are for thoughts or a character who isn't in the scene at the time.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or it's characters but the plot, Devon, Shinead, Papa, and Dr. Reyer are mine.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Two: Painful Nightmares

Devon knelt down in front of the purple-haired boy lying in the snow. The boy looked up and cried out in pain.

"My name is Devon, I'm going to help you."

Devon watched as the Boy's red eye rolled up into his head and his head hit the snow as he lost consciousness.

"Perro," Devon said, "Prop him up from his right side so I can get him on my back. Shinead, carefully lift his left side from his shoulder. He's got broken ribs."

"Okay, Dev," Shinead said as she did what she was told.

Devon then turned away from the boy, "Shinead put his arms around my neck so I can pick him up."

The child did what she was told and Devon lifted the boy from the snow, "Do you need me to do anything else?" She asked

"Run ahead," Devon said, "And get the guest room ready. Get the warmest blankets we have, the first aid kit, a bowl of hot water, a face towel and a change of clothes, my stuff should fit him."

The child ran off and Devon slowly started walking towards the house.

* * *

"Papa, I'm back," Devon called after kicking the door.

Shinead answered the door, "It took ya long enough," She said

"I didn't want to jostle him around too much," Devon said, "He's hurt. Did you do what I told you to?"

"Yep everything's all set," Shinead said, "How are you going to get him out of that outfit?"

"I'll have papa do it," Devon said, "But I'm going to tape up his ribs. Papa's not so good at that."

"That's not my fault,"

"I'm not blaming you," Devon said

"So this is the boy you two found,"

"Shinead found him," Devon said, "I just brought him back."

"What kind of injuries do you suspect?"

"At least two broken ribs on his left side," Devon said, "That cut will need to be stitched but there's no damage to his eye, exhaustion and hypothermia."

"Do you want me to change his clothes?"

"If you wouldn't mind," Devon said, "I'm going to get Dr. Reyer for the stitching but I'm taping his ribs." She then brought the boy to the guest room and left the house again.

"Papa," Shinead said, "How does Dev know exactly what's wrong with someone?"

"I don't know."

* * *

Devon walked up to the house next door and rang the bell.

"Ah Devon," A woman in her late forties said as she answered the door, "What can I do for you?"

"Shinead and I found a boy in the forest," Devon said, "He's got a cut over his eye that will need to be stitched. He's lucky, he avoided damaging his eye."

"Is he conscious or unconscious?" The doctor asked

"Completely unconscious," Devon said, "He's not going to wake for a while."

"I'll be there shortly,"

"Thank you Dr. Reyer." Devon said turning away from the house to return home.

"Ah you're back, is Dr. Reyer coming?"

"Yeah," Devon said while getting the medical tape out, "She should be here soon."

"You're gonna tape up his ribs now?"

"Yeah," Devon said beginning to run the tape along the boy's left side, "I'm glad that it's a clean break, it makes my job easy."

As Devon finished Dr. Reyer walked into the room, "You didn't tell me he had broken ribs," She said

"You never asked," Devon said, "Besides, I don't need all the fancy equipment you do."

"You're something else Dev," Dr. Reyer said, "Are you going to stick around?"

"Nope," Devon said grabbing the shotgun, "I'm going to do what Shinead was going to do earlier.

* * *

"Did you get the signal back yet Lasse?" Sumeragi asked hoping that maybe something had worked, for Feldt's sake.

"No," Lasse said, "Everything's failing."

"Dammit," Sumeragi swore, operation Fallen Angels had been more than enough missing or dead comrades. She didn't need her only remaining pilot to go missing on a rescue mission, "What about the tracking device on the GN-Drive?"

"Unable to locate," Lasse said

"Na-nani…?" Feldt gasped as she re-entered the bridge, "You mean…he's gone…Tieria Erde is gone as well…?"

"We're not sure of that yet Feldt," Sumeragi said, "Tieria has an iron will, I'm sure he's out there somewhere."

"I hope you're right Sumeragi-san," Lasse said as Feldt ran from the bridge, "She can't take much more of this."

"I know," Sumeragi said, "Will you go after her?"

Lasse nodded and headed out of the bridge and Sumeragi sighed, //Please Tieria, for Feldt's sake…be alive…//

* * *

Devon returned two hours after leaving, "What did Dr. Reyer say?"

"The boy is in stable condition but Dr. Reyer said to monitor is temperature every so often."

"He's going to end up with a fever regardless of how we monitor him," Devon said, "It'll be up to normal by tomorrow evening but by midnight he'll wake up feverish."

"I'll hold you to that Dev."

"Papa," Shinead called, "I'm hungry, I'm going to make some soup, do you want any?"

"Yeah,"

"What about you Dev?"

"Why not," Devon said as Shinead entered the room

"Ne, Dev," Shinead said, "What do you think happened to him?"

"I think he had something to do that rumbling we heard yesterday night," Devon said, "I think he might be some kind of pilot."

"But if he crashed in an aircraft there would have been some kind of explosion or fire. Plus, he looks awfully young to be a pilot."

"Looks can be deceiving," Devon said, "Just look at me."

* * *

"_Tieria Erde…" _

"Setsuna F. Seiei…what are you doing here?"

"_It's all your fault Tieria Erde. It's your fault I'm dead. The Nadleeh was destroyed because of your recklessness to avenge Neil Dylandi." _

"Setsuna…I lost conscious…"

"_Because of your recklessness with the Nadleeh. If you had died when the Gundams had been disconnected from Veda, the rest of us would still be alive."_

"Allelujah…Lockon…Setsuna…"

"_There would be three of us instead of just you," Setsuna said_

"_You always thought you were better than the rest of us because you could interface with Veda," Allelujah said, "You were never wrong."_

"Allelujah…Haptism…"

"_I gave my life for you."_

"Neil…"

"_And how did you thank me, you didn't did you?"_

"_You always doubted my abilities as a Meister," Setsuna said, "Yet I lasted longer in that last battle than you did, Mr. Perfect. I should have shot you when I had the chance. Then Celestial Being would only be down one pilot instead of three."_

"_I'm surprised they rescued you," Lockon said, "But then again they were probably desperate. They probably didn't want to replace all of us."_

"_How do we know that you were actually unconscious?" Hallelujah asked, "For all we know this bastard could have been watching while we got killed. Those bastard children should have let you freeze do death."_

"No…It' not like that…"

"_It's not like what, Bastard?" Hallelujah spat, "Huh bastard? Were you just using made up injuries as excuse to off the rest of us? Answer me bastard!"_

"No…I didn't want you to die…"

"_You're probably just saying that now because we're all dead," Hallelujah said, "You probably felt no remorse when you watched us die. Am I right bastard?"_

"No…I didn't…I didn't want you to die…Lockon…Allelujah…Setsuna…I should have died…"

"_The bastard finally gets it," Hallelujah said as he pulled out a gun, "Die!"_

* * *

Lasse found Feldt in the Gundam hangar, "I hate it!" She cried as she punched what was left of Tieria's old Gundam, the Nadleeh.

"Feldt punching the Gundams isn't going to help," Lasse said

"I don't care," Feldt cried, "Tieria Erde is dead. They're all dead!"

"Feldt," Lasse said as she continued to punch the Nadleeh, "Please Feldt," He said as he grabbed her hand before she could punch again, "Tieria's not dead." Feldt stopped and gasped, "Tieria Erde is not dead. He's still out there somewhere, sick or not, Tieria won't go down that easily."

"Lasse-san," Feldt said as she threw her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder, "It's just so hard sometimes. The Meisters are my only family and I miss them."

"I'm sure Setsuna, Allelujah and Tieria are all alive," Lasse said, "They'll come back."

"Arigato Lasse-san…"

* * *

"_Die Tieria Erde," Setsuna said as he too pulled a gun on the purple haired Meister._

_//Oi, Oi//_

_Tieria truned, _"Lockon…"

"_Now that's not very nice," Lockon said as he turned to the others, "What good would it be to shoot him if you're not actually here and technically he's not here either?" The other then vanished leaving Tieria and Lockon alone._

"Why are you here?" _Tieria asked_

"_Because you're pissing me off," Neil said, "You're letting yourself go Tieria Erde. Your little fainting spells all over the place have me very concerned about your health, and don't you dare start pulling that 'I'm not human' crap 'cuz I'm not buying. Oh and another thing, why the hell are you working yourself to an early grave?" _

"It's my fault you're all dead," _Tieria said, _"If I had died when the Gundams were disconnected from Veda, you would still be alive."

"_You're wrong and you're letting what those guys said to you get to you," Lockon said, "Nothing would have changed if you had been killed. Just like you did some reckless stunts to avenge me, I would have done something stupid to avenge you." He paused, "It was Alajandro Corner's fault. You got caught in his blast and as for passing out, your injuries had you comatose for three months. There was nothing you could have done in your condition."_

_Tieria sighed then something happened and it got uncomfortably warm. He put his hand to his forehead and slumped to the ground_

"_Tieria!" Neil called as he caught the boy_

"Neil, what is this feeling?" _Tieria muttered, _"It's like I'm on fire and my chest is heavy…what is this…why do I feel this way?"

"_It's called humanity," Neil said, "Enjoy your stay, Tieria Erde."_

"Neil Dylandi!"

* * *

Devon placed a cool cloth on the boy's forehead. His temperature had spiked quickly and Devon was trying to lower it.

"It's my fault they died," The boy muttered

Devon sighed he had been muttering like that for a while now, //I want to know what he's dreaming about// Devon thought as the boy started tossing and turning.

"What is this…?"

Devon sighed again and laid a hand across the boy's clammy forehead again, //He's got a temperature if at least thirty-nine point five//

"Neil Dylandi!" The boy cried as his garnet eye flew open

"Ah you're awake, can you tell me your name?" Devon asked

"Tieria Erde…" The boy said

"I'm Devon Freiheit,"

Tieria looked at the person, "You're Devon?" He asked, "But Devon is a…"

"Boy's name I know," Devon said, "Apparently my parents thought it was a girl's name."

Tieria looked as though he was about to say something but he began coughing violently instead.

Devon carefully helped Tieria sit up and she handed him a glass of water, "Take it easy," Devon said, "I think you may have pneumonia. You have a high fever so try to rest."

"Thank you…" Tieria muttered as the coughing subsided and handed the empty glass to Devon who helped him lay back down, "How…long…?"

"Nearly three days," Devon said

Tieria's eye snapped open, "Sumeragi Li Noriega!" He sat up and was with a stabbing pain in his side and the violent coughing returned.

Devon sighed and handed Tieria another glass of water, "You've broken two ribs on your left side," She said, "Take it easy."

Tieria took the water but the glass fell out of his hands. The pain was too much, the fever was too much, he couldn't breathe and he lost consciousness.

* * *

Sumeragi was frustrated. She couldn't understand why Tieria's GN-Drive had vanished into thin air, //Even if it had been destroyed the black box would live on// She thought, //Something must be preventing the signal from getting to us//

"Lasse," She called, "Where was Tieria's GN-Drive the last time we had contact with it?"

"_Over the Saint Lawrence Sea Way," _Lasse said though the communicator

"Thank you," Sumeragi said, "I'm setting course. We're going to find Tieria."

* * *

Well there it is, chapter two. I didn't want Devon's gender to be revealed until Tieria found out but it was a pain to write. I don't know when the next chapter will be up so bear with me. Tell me what you thought!

Ex-Shark-7


	3. Decisions

Konnichiwa Minna-san! It's been a while hasn't it? Seven college courses have really killed all of my spare time and now that semester is over I should be writing more so you will be hearing from me more. I don't have any notes on this chapter so I'll let you start reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or it's characters but the plot, Devon, Shinead, Papa, and Dr. Reyer are mine.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter three: Decisions

"_Bonjour _Devon," Shinead said as she walked into the guest bedroom

"_Salut," _Devon said

"Did he wake up last night?" Shinead asked

"Yeah, he did," Devon said, "Will you stay with him so I can run over to see if Dr. Reyer has anything for viral pneumonia."

"You think he has viral pneumonia?" Shinead asked

"Yeah," Devon said, "If he wakes up introduce yourself."

"_D'accord_," Shinead said as Devon left the room. After a few minutes there was a soft moan, "You're awake."

"You're the girl…with the dog," Tieria whispered

"Yep," Shinead said, "My name is Shinead Liberté, what's your name?"

"Tieria Erde," He replied, "Where's Devon?"

"She went to get something to help you," She said, "She'll be right back."

"Where am I?" Tieria asked

"Canada," Shinead said

"You mean the Union?" Tieria asked

"No, I mean Canada," Shinead said

"In the Union?" Tieria asked

"You must have hit your head harder than we thought," Shinead said as she put her hand to Tieria's forehead, "You are burning up though, it must be the fever. What the Union?"

Before Tieria could answer Devon returned, "You're awake, Shinead bring him some soup and a cup of tea."

"_D'accord,_" Shinead said as she left the room

"I'm not hungry," Tieria said

"I don't care," Devon said, "You're going to eat. I have a few questions, What happened to you?"

Tieria's eyes widened. If he told this girl what had happened, he would be breaking the code of secrecy.

Devon sighed, "This village has no idea what is going on in the world today," She said, "Which is why Shinead didn't know what the Union is."

Tieria sighed, "Do you know?"

"Yes," Devon said, "I've only been here for two years."

Tieria sighed again, "What do you think of Celestial Being?" He asked, "I am a member, you can turn me in if you want to."

"Why would I do that?" Devon asked, "I'm a supporter of what you guys were doing. I was devastated when I heard that it had been destroyed." She paused, "Are you going to turn me in?"

"Why would I do that?" Tieria asked, "You're a civilian and I'm sure one of the other pilots blew our cover several times."

"I take it you're one of the pilots then," Devon said, "Based on the outfit we found you in."

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I'm a Gundam Meister."

"I knew you were some sort of pilot," Devon said, "Did you crash or something?"

"I think I did," Tieria said, "But nothing makes sense. If I did crash, then why didn't I sustain any injuries?"

"I'm back," Shinead said, "Ne, Tieria were you having some kind of nightmare?"

"Shinead," Devon said, "I'm sorry Erde-san,"

"It's alright," Tieria said, "She can call me that if she wants." He paused, "I have nightmares a lot."

"What are Allelujah, Haptism, Setsuna, Lockon, and who is Neil Dylandi?" Shinead asked

Tieria sighed while Devon chastised Shinead, "They were my comrades," He said softly, "Setsuna and Allelujah Haptism are missing and Neil…Dylandi, also known as Lockon Stratos…was killed…because of me."

"Shinead will you please leave the room now?" Devon asked softly

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Shinead said as she left

Devon sighed and looked at Tieria, "She didn't know," She said as she put her hand on Tieria's shoulder, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's my fault they're gone," Tieria said. He couldn't believe that he was digressing so much personal information to a complete stranger, perhaps it was the fever messing with his head. "If I wasn't so attached to Veda, Neil wouldn't have gotten hurt and we wouldn't have been short handed in the last fight…they would still be here." Tieria's blurry vision was beginning to fog up, "The other Meisters were the only "family" I've known. When they were around, I couldn't stand to be in their company…but now…that…they're gone…I'm alone…and…I can't stand it…Neil was different… Neil was the first person…to accept me…for what I am…and…now he's gone."

Devon put her hand on Tieria's back as he cried, "Try not to work yourself up too much," She said softly, "You're not well." Devon sat there on the bed while Tieria eventually cried himself to sleep. After his body went limp, she rested him against the pillows again. She sighed as she took a cloth and dipped it into a bowl of ice water and wiped the drying tears from his face. She then returned the cloth to the bowl then placed it on his forehead.

"How is he?"

"Asleep," Devon said as she shut the door to the room, "He is a pilot."

"But he looks so young,"

"I don't know how old he is but he's been through a lot for his age," Devon said, "Most of his comrades are missing and his closest friend was killed. I want to ask him if there's someone I can contact but I don't want to upset him. I think I'll wait until his fever comes down."

"If he is a pilot did he crash?"

"I don't know," Devon said, "I think he may have lost consciousness before he made impact with the ground."

* * *

Feldt sat in the hangar staring at what was left of the Nadleeh, which was only the torso and the right arm. She put her hand on the cold metal of the cockpit and sighed as she remembered the battle that nearly claimed its Meister's life. About an hour and a half after the disastrous battle they finally found the crippled Gundam and for another grueling three hours they struggled to keep its severely injured pilot breathing.

"Feldt…"

"Sumeragi-san," Feldt said as she turned around

"I'm sure Tieria is still alive," Sumeragi said as she looked at the Nadleeh, "He's gotten lucky once before."

Feldt sighed. After they had recovered Tieria they found that he had broken every rib on his right side, his upper right arm and shoulder. Then to make matters worse twelve hours after they began treatment, he slipped into a coma and was comatose for three months.

"He did survive the injuries he sustained during operation Fallen Angels," Feldt said softly,

"He will start taking better care of himself when he gets back," Sumeragi said, "I don't care if I have to force feed and sedate him."

* * *

A few hours later Devon walked into the guest room to find a spirits standing in front of the bed.

"I take it you're Neil Dylandi," Devon said

"You can see me?" He asked, "Most can't."

"I'm not like most humans," Devon said, "And neither is he."

"Yeah, but he can't see me," Neil said, "I know that there's something about him that makes him different from the other Meisters," He paused and gently put his opaque hand to the boy's forehead, "but he can't see me, he can only feel my presence. The only was I can contact him is through his unconscious." He then turned to Devon, "I want to thank you for saving him."

"It was mostly Shinead," Devon said, "She was the one who found him."

Neil turned to Tieria again, "He hasn't been taking very good care of himself," He said, "He's not eating very much; the only time he really sleeps is when he passes out from sheer exhaustion and the kid's trying to do more than he can handle in his current condition. Hell, at his full strength he wouldn't be able to maintain the workload he's taking on."

"He blames himself for what happened to you," Devon said,

"Of course the idiot does," Neil said, "He's going to wake soon and when he does, tell him that Allelujah and Setsuna aren't here with me. Then yell at him a bit for me." At that moment Tieria's breathing quickened, "Well that's my cue to leave. Keep him safe for me, okay?"

"Alright," Devon said as the spirit dematerialized

"Neil!" Tieria cried then promptly started coughing violently

Devon grabbed an inhaler off of the table and handed it to him, "Here this will help," She said, Tieria took the inhaler and his coughing subsided

"Thank you," He muttered

Devon placed a tray on the bed, "Eat what you can," Devon said, "But refusing isn't an option." Tieria sighed and slowly sat up, "Does your side hurt at all?" Tieria shook his head, "That's good," She sighed, "Please eat something."

"I'm not hungry," Tieria said as he leaned up against the wall for support.

Devon sighed, "Look, Neil isn't too happy with you at the moment," She said,

Tieria's uninjured eye widened, "Lockon…" He gasped, "But how…?"

"I'm able to communicate with spirits," She said, "I'm not like most humans. But Neil's worried about you he wants you to take better care of yourself and he also said that Allelujah and Setsuna aren't with him."

Tieria gasped then smiled a bit, "So they are still alive…"

Devon sighed, "Will you please eat something?" She asked, "Look I didn't poison it if that's what you're worried about. Shinead made the soup this morning and it's really good, I'll even try some to prove to you that I didn't put anything in it! I will force feed you if I have to!"

Tieria was slightly taken back by Devon's sudden outburst and picked up the spoon and took a small sip of the soup. The warm liquid helped to fend off the intense cold he felt and he took another spoonful.

"See it didn't kill you," Devon said, "What do you think of it?"

"It's not bad," Tieria said. He took a few more spoonfuls and then handed the bowl back to Devon. "I should try to get back to Celestial Being soon," He said softly, "They must be looking for me."

"You're in no condition to get out of bed yet," Devon said, "You should wait until you're feeling better."

"I can't do that," he said,

"And why not?" Devon asked

"Sumeragi and Feldt are expecting me to come back," He said, "I'm the only pilot left if they get ambushed, they'll be defenseless."

"I thought the world thinks you were destroyed," Devon said

"We would run into an occasional stray mobile suit," Tieria said, "I just don't want to put the rest of my crew at risk because I wasn't there to protect them."

Devon sighed, "When do you plan on leaving?"

"Tomorrow," Tieria said, "It should only take me about half an hour to make an atmospheric jump then I can set my Gundam on Auto-pilot to get back to the ship."

"Tomorrow is way too soon," Devon said, "There's no way your body can withstand the Gs of an atmospheric jump. You've got two broken ribs. I've got them tapped pretty well but there is a possibility that the Gs will break them more forcing the fragments into your lung or worse your heart."

"It's just a possibility," Tieria said, "And I have survived injuries of that nature before."

"Not with viral pneumonia you haven't," Devon said, "The virus will hinder the healing process severely, it will be harder for your body to repair itself."

"I understand that," Tieria said, "And I understand the risks that I will be taking when I leave tomorrow."

"Fine," Devon said, "We can't hold you here against your will." She then took the tray and left the room without another word.

"You look frustrated Dev, What's up?"

"He wants to leave tomorrow," Devon said, "But he's in no condition to leave just yet. He's suppressing the urge to cough, his fever hasn't dropped yet and he's planning an atmospheric jump with two broken ribs."

"Atmospheric jump?"

"The outside world is a lot different," Devon said as she grabbed her jacket

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find the thing he came here in," Devon said, "I'll follow his footprints."

She then grabbed a flashlight and a can of spray paint and left the house. She was lucky that it hadn't snowed again since they had found Tieria. After she got to the place where they had discovered him, she noticed just how staggered his footprints had gotten, //He really was in bad shape// She thought as she continued farther into the woods, //Just how far is it?// After another five or so minutes she came across a clearing and the Gundam. She walked over to it and climbed up to get a better look at the open cockpit, //It's a double pilot// She thought, //If he's going then I'm going with him// She climbed down, pulled out the can of spray paint and headed home.

* * *

"Ah you're back,"

"Yeah," Devon said, "I think I'm going to go with him. He should not be going alone in his condition."

"How are you going to do that without his knowledge?"

"I'll leave about an hour before he does," Devon said, "He left the cockpit open and I want to see if I can warm up the cockpit before he leaves."

"How are you going to do that?"

"I have my ways," Devon said as she walked to the guest room.

"You're leaving aren't you?" Shinead asked

"Yeah I am," Devon said, "I just can't allow him to head off alone in such a condition."

"You will come back right?" Shinead asked

"Yeah," Devon said, "I'll come back. I made a promise to someone that I need to keep."

* * *

Well there you have it. I will be changing my penname in the near future to: Ex-Shark-Virtue-005 so keep an eye out for it

_Bonjour- _Hello or good day  
_salut- _hi  
_D'accord-_ okay

Ex-Shark7


	4. Returning Home

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back! I took me a while to write this chapter but it's finally done. I'm hoping to update every other week or so now that summer's here. I have no comments to make on this chapter so you can all start reading right away!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or it's characters but the plot, Devon, Shinead, and Papa are mine.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Four: Returning Home

Devon sighed, Tieria was not doing well at all. He had already woken up once coughing so badly he had gotten violently ill and two other times just coughing. All three times it had taken him about an hour to fall back to sleep and it worried her.

//He's really in no condition to leave// She thought as she sponged his forehead, //It's just after daybreak and he's only gotten about four hours of sleep//

"How is he Devon?" Mr. Liberté asked

"He's woken up two other times," Devon said, "He wasn't sick again but he's in no condition to leave. I really wish he would stay here until his fever is down but we can't hold him here against his will."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much Dev," Mr. Liberté said, "It's his decision, let him go."

Devon nodded as Tieria's breathing quickened and he started coughing, //Dammit// she thought as she tried to get the inhaler to him before he couldn't breathe and unlike the last three times she was successful. After a minute or two his coughing subsided and his breathing eased.

"Thank you…" Tieria muttered

"You shouldn't be talking," Devon said, "I suggest you try to sleep more. You'll need it if you want to leave today."

"What's going to happen?" Tieria asked

"Shinead is going to bring you to your Gundam," Devon said, "Don't argue you're in no condition to make the trek yourself. Get some rest now."

Tieria shut his eyes and slipped into an uneasy sleep.

"Devon when do you want me to wake him?"

"Around eleven," She said, "Make sure he wears one of my parkas and give him something to eat. I'm going to go have breakfast then I'm going to head to his Gundam."

* * *

The next time Tieria woke up he was greeted by a middle aged man.

"Good you're awake," He said as he handed an inhaler to Tieria, "Devon wants you to take this, it's stronger than the one she had you on."

"Where is Devon?" Tieria asked

"She had a few things she had to do," Mr. Liberté said, "She also wants you to eat this." He placed a tray on the boy's lap, "She said that you need to keep your strength up. When you're done I'll help you get ready to leave."

Tieria nodded and took a small sip of the soup. He really wasn't hungry but he complied anyways.

"When Dev told me that you were a pilot I couldn't believe it," Mr. Liberté said, "You look so young. How old are you?"

Tieria froze, no one had ever asked how old he was and for once he was at a loss. He didn't have a real age, he wasn't human he didn't age, "Seventeen," he said finally.

"That's how old Devon is," Mr. Liberté said, "I can't believe they let children pilot now."

Tieria sighed, "The world is a twisted place." He said softly as he put his spoon down.

"Are you finished?" He asked. Tieria nodded, "Alright," He took the tray from the boy and picked up the neatly folded purple flight suit, "Can you stand?"

"I think so," Tieria said as he slowly tried to get out of bed but found it to be extremely difficult with the amount of energy he had. "Will this do?" He asked panting for breath as he sat on the side of the bed.

"Yes that will do," Mr. Liberté said, "Do you want my help or can you do it yourself?"

"I think I can manage," Tieria said as he took his flight suit

"Alright, I'll be outside the door if you need any help."

Tieria struggled to put his flight suit on. He wasn't in a lot of pain, but his limbs were weak. When he finally got dressed he slowly walked towards the door and opened it.

"Good morning Tieria-san," Shinead greeted. She was wearing a blue, white and maroon ski jacket and a pair of matching ski pants, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Tieria said

"Here," Mr. Liberté said as he handed Tieria a white, purple and blue ski jacket, "Devon said you have to wear this." Tieria sighed as he put the jacket on. He was already warm from the fever and the jacket made things worse, "It's probably uncomfortably warm with your fever but it's negative fifteen outside you need it."

"Are you ready?" Shinead asked as she handed him a pair of goggles

"You do know where it is, right?" Mr. Liberté asked as he led Tieria to the garage

"Yeah Dev showed me this morning," Shinead said as she got on a snowmobile that matched her jacket, "Come on Tieria-san get on and hold on tight."

* * *

Tieria did not like the snowmobile ride one bit. The child drove way too fast for his liking and he every little bump they hit caused a stabbing pain to shoot through his side.

"Are you alright back there!?" Shinead yelled

Tieria didn't answer he just clenched his teeth to prevent himself from crying out in pain.

After a few more minutes the girl slowed and stopped, "Well here we are," She said as she removed her goggles, "Are you alright?"

"Just give me a minute," Tieria said trying to regain his bearings. When he finally felt a bit less nauseous he got off the snowmobile.

"Hey if you're ever around stop by," Shinead said

Tieria nodded, "Thank you," he said, "I'll keep that in mind." He slowly walked to his Gundam and climbed into the cockpit. //What am I doing?// He thought, //I can't leave like this, but I have to…Sumeragi needs me…// He took the jacket off and an intense pain shot through his side and he cried out in pain, //I need something for this…// He then reached back into a small compartment a took out a small syringe and a bag, //I know it makes me sick, it helps with the pain…// He winced as he injected the medication into his side and waited.

* * *

Devon sighed as she watched Tieria slowly started the Gundam. She was hiding in the back so he wouldn't see her. //He can't see me// she thought, //He'll never agree to take me along, but I feel bad just sneaking in here//

She watched as Tieria slowly removed the jacket they had given him and he cried out in pain. //I should have re-taped his ribs before hand// She thought. She then nearly gasped as Tieria reached back into a small compartment to get a syringe. //That was way to close// She heard Tieria wince again and she sighed. Several minutes later she listened as whatever was in the syringe made him sick, //The medication he injected must have made him sick, I wish I could help him…// Then she felt the Gundam straighten up, //Here we go// She thought, //Please let him make it back alright//

* * *

Tieria winced as he straightened the Gundam into a standing position. "Tieria Erde…ikimasu," He put his now useless helmet on and took his glasses out of a small compartment. His fever was making his vision blurry even with his glasses, //I just have to make it past the atmosphere and then I can put the Gundam on auto-pilot//

* * *

Sumeragi was beginning to worry about Tieria. It was unlike him to go several days without contacting someone and even more unlike him to completely disappear during a mission.

"Did you have any luck, Lasse?" she asked as he reentered the bridge

"No," Lasse said, "I wasn't able to find any trace of the Gundam when I flew over Canada. Could it be possible that he crashed in the Saint Lawrence Seaway?"

"I hope not," Sumeragi said, "But I don't think he did. What's Feldt doing?"

"She's still sitting in front of the Nadleeh," Lasse said, "Ian-san's watching her."

"Has she gotten any sleep?" Sumeragi asked

"I'm not sure," Lasse said

Sumeragi sighed, "We need to find Tieria soon," She said, "For Feldt's sake. She's going to make herself sick if she continues like this."

* * *

Tieria was having trouble staying conscious. He had just started the atmospheric jump and the Gs were doing a number on him. Then about halfway through the jump he felt something click in his side and the pain increased ten-fold. He gasped, it felt as though someone was pressing a pillow to his mouth and nose. //I have three more minutes until the jump is complete// He thought as his head started to swim, //I have to stay awake…just until…I get…to…space…// "Lockon…" He muttered as he lost consciousness.

* * *

Devon had never experienced anything as strong as the Gs it took to break through the atmosphere. //If I'm having a hard time, Tieria must be having an even harder time// She thought, //But he is used to this…// Then she was snapped out of her thought when she heard Tieria gasp and start panting for breath, //His ribs just broke more// She thought //And they've punctured his lung//

"Lockon…" He muttered

"_You can come out now," _A semi-familiar voice called, _"The kid's unconscious."_

"Neil," Devon called, "What are you doing here?"

"_Hey, I'm dead,"_ Neil said, _"I can go where ever I want. And I'm doing the same thing you're doing, making sure the kid gets home safely."_

"You really care for him, don't you?" Devon asked as she straightened up

"_He's my kid brother," _Neil said, _"He's the type who needs almost constant guidance and right now he's got no one to lead him in the right direction."_

"So you're trying to give him the guidance he needs from the shadows?" Devon asked.

"_Exactly," _Neil said, _"Hey you have the communications for this jammed right?"_

"Do you need me to un-jam it?" Devon asked

"_Yeah only for a minute or so," _Neil said, _"Just long enough for the crew on the 'Tolemy to set the auto-pilot."_

"Okay," Devon said as she ducked back under the seat, "It should be set."

"_And now I take my leave," _Neil said, _"Take care of him for me."_

"I will,"

* * *

Sumeragi and Lasse were just about to go and talk to Feldt when one of monitor started flashing.

"Lasse, could you go see what that is?" Sumeragi asked as she floated up to the door

"Sure," Lasse said as he approached the monitor, "Sumeragi-san, it's Tieria!"

"What!?" Sumeragi asked as she hurried over to the monitor, "Tieria, come in," She called, "Tieria Erde, please respond." Sumeragi sighed when there was still no response, "Tieria if you can hear me, I need you to respond." Then the sound of harsh and labored breathing could be heard over the communicator, "Something's not right," She said, "Lasse switch the controls to autopilot, I've got a feeling he's not conscious."

"Ryokai," Lasse said, "I've overwritten the manual controls. Test Gundam 03 is now on autopilot."

"Thank you Lasse," Sumeragi said. She was feeling quite relived. Even though Tieria had been unable to respond to their transmission, she had conformation that he was alive and that was all she needed.

* * *

Devon was beginning to worry about Tieria's breathing. //The visor on his helmet has been shattered// She thought, //There's oxygen in the cockpit but he's not getting the amount he needs. There's got to be a spare helmet or an oxygen tank in here somewhere// She looked around the cockpit and found a compartment towards the back that had what she was looking for. She then carefully removed Tieria's helmet and glasses and slipped the oxygen mask over his face and replaced the helmet. "Just hold out a little longer," She said softly, "We've got another five minutes until we get to your ship."

* * *

"Sumeragi-san," Feldt called as she entered the bridge, "What's going on?"

"We've made contact with Tieria," She said as she turned to the girl, "He was unable to respond back to my transmission but I have conformation that he is alive. I need you to get the medical room ready," She said, "We have no idea what condition he'll be in."

"I understand," Feldt said as tears came to her eyes, "Should I prepare for all injuries?"

"I want a full preparation," Sumeragi said, "There's no saying what kind of trouble that boy has gotten himself into and I swear when he's well again I am going to lecture him the way he's never been lectured before."

"Right away," Feldt said as she ran off

"Visual conformation of test Gundam 03," Lasse said, "Bringing it up on the monitor, beginning docking sequences in three hundred."

"Lasse stay here and supervise the docking," Sumeragi said, "I'm heading down to the hangar."

"Ryokai," Lasse said as Sumeragi left the room.

* * *

Sumeragi entered the hangar and was greeted by Ian. "So, I take it the kid's alive," Ian said

"Yeah," Sumeragi said, "But I'm still worried about him. He wasn't answering to our transmissions. I also want to know why he didn't contact us."

"I'm sure he has his reasons," Ian said,

"_Opening hatch two," _Lasse's voice called over the intercom, _"Commencing docking sequences."_

Sumeragi and Ian waited until the Gundam was docked before they approached. "Mileina," Sumeragi called at a young teenager at the other end of the hangar, "Will you run a maintenance check on this Gundam?"

"Hai," Mileina called, "Haro-san I'll need your help, alright?"

"Ryokai, Ryokai," The Haros called

"Lasse," Sumeragi called, "Open the cockpit."

"_Ryokai," _Lasse called

The cockpit opened and Sumeragi gasped. Tieria was unconscious. His helmet was on but the visor had shattered. There was a thin trail of blood at the corner of his mouth. She carefully pulled him from the cockpit, "He's…burning up,"

"What?" Ian called, "Tieria's running a fever?"

"Yeah," Sumeragi said as she headed toward the medical bay, //Has he been sick this entire time? Is that why he disappeared and couldn't contact us? How in the world did he take care of himself for five days with such a fever? I guess we'll find out when he's feeling better//

* * *

Feldt had just finished the preparations when Sumeragi walked in. "Everything is all set Sumeragi-san," She said as she turned towards the door, "Tieria…what happened to him?"

"We're not sure," Sumeragi said as she set the unconscious boy down on the bed, "But he's running a pretty high fever. Please begin the treatment. I'll remain here long enough to read the diagnosis, but then I have to return to the bridge."

"_Sumeragi-san please report to the hangar immediately, I repeat Sumeragi-san please report to the hangar immediately!"_

"What is this all about?" Sumeragi asked, "Feldt, take care of him until I get back." Sumeragi then hurried out of the room and headed for the hangar. "What is it Mileina-chan?" she called as she entered the hangar.

"It's her," Mileina said as she pointed her gun at a red haired girl standing near the Gundam, "She was in the cockpit with Erde-san."

* * *

Well another chapter done and things are about to get interesting! Tell me what you think about it so far!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	5. Struggling to Recover

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back! I took me a while to write this chapter but it's finally done. I know I said I would try to update every other week or so but that doesn't seem to be working , hey I've got nine active stories here, cut me some slack. So italics symbolize dreams or dialoues heard while half asleep. And normal fonts in italics symblozie the dreaming character's thoughts or what they're probably muttering in their sleep.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or it's characters but Veda's being nice and she's letting me have fun with them for a while. But the plot for this fic and Devon are mine.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Five: Struggling to Recover

Sumeragi looked at the red haired girl that Mileina had her gun on. Sumeragi then drew her own gun and pointed it at the girl.

"Who are you?" Sumeragi asked, "And what the hell were you doing in that mobile suit?"

"My name is Devon Freiheit," The girl said calmly, "And I was saving your pilot's life."

"What do you mean?" Sumeragi asked

"Five days ago, this Gundam crashed in a forest right outside of the town I lived in," She said, "About twelve or so hours later my sister went to check our hunting traps when she found Tieria. At the time we found him, he was suffering from two broken ribs and hypothermia. After about two days the hypothermia progressed into viral pneumonia, which he still has. I was in the cockpit of that Gundam because there was no way in hell I was letting him go out on his own."

"How can I be sure that you're not a spy?" Sumeragi asked still pointing her gun at the girl,

"I come from a village that hasn't changed at all since the twenty-first century," Devon said, "In other words we have no idea what is going on in the world today. The people in the village still think that wars are fought with fighter jets and tanks."

"If you're from the village then how did you know that this mobile suit is called a Gundam?" Sumeragi asked

"I'm an orphan," Devon said, "Two years ago; I wandered into the village in a similar manor as your pilot did. I do not have a license to own or use a gun. I am a certified aircraft pilot and I am seventeen years old."

Sumeragi sighed and lowered her gun, "Mileina lower your weapon," She said, "This girl is not a threat."

"Ryokai," Mileina said as she too lowered her weapon.

"_Sumeragi-san please report to the sick bay, I repeat, please report to the sick bay."_

Sumeragi sighed, "Please come with me," She said as she hurried to the sick bay. "What is it Feldt?"

"He's not in good shape," She said, "He has viral pneumonia, two broken ribs and one of them punctured his lung. The cut above his eye is stitched well but it will be a while before Tieria can use that eye. And because of his fever, we can only keep him in here until his lung heals about twenty-five percent."

"When will that be?" Sumeragi asked

"In about three days," Feldt said, "After the three days he will have to undergo at least another week and a half of intravenous treatment, then another week of strict bed rest."

"Like the two weeks of "strict" bed rest he was supposed to be on after Fallen Angels?" Sumeragi asked, "If he pulls that little stunt again I swear to god, I will tie him to the bed and sedate him if I have to."

"Estimated recovery time, about three weeks," Feldt said

"Incredible," Devon said, "It would take him months to recover back where I'm from. This capsule uses regenerative medicine, am I correct?"

"Yes it does," Sumeragi answered

"I've always wondered how regenerative medicine works," Devon said, "I was what you could call a field medic in the village I lived in and I've always wondered how it worked."

"Our system uses a mix between nano-machine technology and a substance that quickens the cell regeneration process," Feldt said,

"You said that you were a field medic," Sumeragi said, "We could use your help. We don't have an onboard medic. Can you help us?"

"I have no experience with regenerative medicine," Devon said, "And the worst injuries I've had to deal with were broken bones, hypothermia and frostbite."

"That's fine," Feldt said, "The equipment is computer based so it's very easy to use. The scanners locate any and all injuries then the computer gives us several treatment options. Because of the nature of what we do, we usually go for the quickest treatment option. But with Tieria it's difficult because his body doesn't take well to pain medication."

"I know," Devon said, "He injected something into his side for the pain then about ten minutes later he was violently ill."

Sumeragi sighed, "He knows how he gets," She said, "Why did he do that?"

"I honestly don't think he would have been able to pilot without it," Devon said, "He was in too much pain to even sit up properly."

Sumeragi sighed, "That boy pushes himself too hard," She said, "Well come on. Let's let him rest a bit. There's nothing more we can do for him now."

_

* * *

_

//What happened?// He thought as his mind slowly started working again, //Where am I?// He couldn't understand why he felt so warm yet so cold at the same time. He couldn't understand why his chest felt so heavy. He could hear distant voices but he couldn't make out what they were saying, //Was I able to make it back? How long has it been?//

"_He should wake up soon…he's off of the sedatives."_

_Sedatives? Why was he on sedatives? What happened? Where was he?_

"_Give it some time…he's only been out of the capsule for two days. The medication may not have worn off completely yet."_

_What had he been in the capsule for? Then he remembered what had happened to him. He remembered injuring his right eye; he remembered falling off his Gundam and injuring his side; and he remembered just how sick he had felt. _

"_How is his fever?"_

"_It's coming down a bit…It's down to thirty-nine point two."_

"_It was thirty-nine point seven last night."_

"_So it's come down a lot…that's good."_

"_His lungs are clearing up."_

"_That's good."_

_He wanted to open his eyes but something was preventing him from doing so. He was so exhausted but he didn't want to sleep he wanted to figure out where he was and who the voices he could hear belonged to. But he was so tired his eyes wouldn't open. So he figured he would just lay here until he worked up the energy to open his eyes._

* * *

Sumeragi, Mileina, Feldt and Devon stood in the medical bay discussing Tieria's condition when an almost inaudible moan brought them from their chat.

"Tieria," Sumeragi said "How are you feeling?"

"Sumeragi," Tieria whispered, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to worry you."

"Don't worry about it, Tieria," Sumeragi said, "The important thing is you're safe." She placed her hand on Tieria's forehead, "Have you been feeling sick the entire time?"

Tieria nodded a bit, "I shouldn't have gone out," He whispered, "I wasn't feeling well when I left."

"What's done is done," Sumeragi said, "Don't worry about it now."

Tieria nodded, "Why can't I see?" he asked as he realized just how blurry everything was.

"You're eye was injured," Sumeragi responded, "You have to let heal."

"I'll go and get your glasses to see if it helps," Feldt said as she walked from the room.

"Are you hungry at all?" Sumeragi asked

"No," Tieria said softly

Sumeragi nodded, "I understand," She said, "I'll let it go for now, but when you're feeling better you're going to have to eat."

"I understand," Tieria said softly he was getting really tired but he didn't quite want to fall back to sleep yet. There was still something he wanted to know.

"Here Tieria," Feldt said as she helped Tieria put his glasses on.

"Thank you," Tieria said as the room came into focus. He sat up a bit and looked around the room. He saw Sumeragi, Feldt, Mileina and one of the girls from the village. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I snuck into your Gundam before you left the other day," Devon said, "There was no way in hell I was letting you go alone."

Tieria just sighed and handed his glasses back to Feldt, "I'm going back to sleep," he muttered, "I'm not feeling very well."

"Alright," Sumeragi said, "Sleep well, Tieria."

Tieria shut his eyes and drifted into the most restful sleep he had gotten in quite some time.

* * *

"Feldt," Sumeragi said as she walked into the medical bay the next day, "How is his body taking to the treatment?"

"Quite well actually," Feldt said as she checked the monitor, "His body temperature is down to thirty-eight point eight. His lungs are almost clear. He should be able to use his right eye in a few days. His ribs are going to take some time though. We might be able to take him off the medication a few days early."

"That's good," Sumeragi said, "After what happened after Fallen Angels, I don't like putting him on medication."

Feldt sighed. She knew exactly why Sumeragi was cautious to put Tieria on medication. Tieria had suffered severe injuries after Operation Fallen Angels and they were forced to use extreme treatments if they wanted to keep him alive. For the first twelve hours he showed very little response to the treatment then he slipped into a coma and didn't wake for nearly three months. Ever since then they had been extremely hesitant to put Tieria on any type of medication unless it was absolutely necessary.

"I don't think we have to worry about anything," Feldt said, "He's not on any pain medication or regeneration treatments."

"I know," Sumeragi said, "I just don't like seeing any of my pilots in this condition."

"That's understandable," Feldt said, "Devon, can you take over for a while so I can get some lunch?"

"Yeah," Devon said, "You might want to bring something light back, he's going to wake up soon."

"Okay," Feldt said as she left the room.

"Devon," Sumeragi said, "There's something I've been meaning to ask you for a few days now."

"What is it?" the red head asked

"When Tieria was missing, we had no contact with his Gundam at all." Sumeragi said, "It would take extremely advanced technology to block the signal from the GN-Drive. I just want to know if you have any idea how that happened."

"I was the cause," Devon said, "I have the ability to jam the communication systems in mobile suits."

"You have the ability to do that?" Sumeragi asked, "Do you use quantum brainwaves?"

"No," Devon said, "I use electromagnetic frequencies."

"Really?" Sumeragi asked, "I've never heard of that."

"That's because there are only a handful of us left," Devon said, "Most people like me were experimented on to try to figure out how we used them and unfortunately most of us were also killed. I was a child at the time so I was able to avoid experimentation; however several years ago I was used as a sort of model for a group of genetically engineered artificially created humans."

"That's awful," Sumeragi said, "How old are you anyway?"

"Three hundred nineteen," Devon said, "I can be considered a living ghost."

"You're three hundred nineteen years old?" Sumeragi said, "That means you were born in year…"

"Nineteen hundred ninety," Devon said. She then paused, "Good morning Tieria-san, how are you feeling?"

"Devon," Tieria said softly,

"Tieria," Sumeragi exclaimed, "You're awake."

"Sumeragi," Tieria said as he sat up a bit, "What time is it?"

"It's about twelve thirty," Sumeragi said, "Are you feeling any better today?"

"I am," Tieria said as he sat up as far as he could without pain,

"You look a lot better today," Sumeragi said, "We might be able to take you off the medications you're on a lot sooner then we expected."

"I'm on medication?" Tieria asked, "Is it alright?"

"We have you on very low doses," Sumeragi said, "So it's alright. Plus you've been responding well to the treatment."

"I'm back," Feldt called as she entered the room, "Tieria you're awake. You're looking well today."

"I'm feeling a bit better," Tieria said, "But I'm still not feeling very well."

"Would you like something to eat?" Feldt asked, "You haven't eaten in a few days, you must be hungry."

"The medication might be decreasing his appetite," Devon said, "Plus he still has a rather high fever."

"I am a bit hungry," Tieria said

"That's great," Sumeragi said, "What do you want?"

"Just something light," Tieria said

"I brought some rice," Feldt said, "Devon said I should."

"Thank you," Tieria said as he took the small container that Feldt handed him,

"Eat what you can," Sumeragi said, "Then try to get more sleep, you're starting to look really tired."

Tieria nodded and started eating the small portion of rice. When he had finished about three fourths he handed the container back to Feldt.

"Are you all set?" Feldt asked

"Yeah," Tieria said as he removed his glasses,

"Okay," Sumeragi said as she took the glasses and Tieria rested back against the pillows, "Sleep well."

Tieria nodded then slipped into an uneasy sleep.

_

* * *

_

Tieria found himself at Lagrange one, a place that seemed to haunt him since that incident two years ago. He didn't want to be here but in reality he was far too weak and sick to force himself to wake up. So he stuck here, in his unconscious, forced to relive the battle that nearly ended his life. But something was different this time around there were no GN-X units this time around the only enemy seemed to be…his Gundam. //

What the hell is going on here?_// He thought. Then he remembered what Hallelujah had said in his last nightmare._

"For all we know this bastard could have been watching as we got killed…You were probably using made up injuries to off the rest of us."

_//_No_// He thought as he watched the Nadleeh chased after the Exia, //_Why…why is this happening?_// He then watched as the Nadleeh took the Virtue's shoulder cannon and blasted the legs off the Exia. Exia fired a few shots back using a GN-Vulcan but long-range firing was the weak point of the Exia. Exia specialized in melee fighting. Then after the head and arms were also shot off leaving the blue Gundam completely defenseless, Tieria realized there was a much more deadly weapon that the Nadleeh had at its disposal…The Trial System. //_Please…don't tell me I'm about to do what I think I'm going to do_// _

_Then the Trial System was activated and the Nadleeh sliced through Exia's cockpit most likely killing the pilot inside but not doing any damage to the GN-Drive._

_He watched as the Kyrios started firing at the Nadleeh, its pilot probably enraged at his comrade's actions._

_//_Stop it Allelujah_// Tieria's mind screamed //_You'll get killed as well!_//_

_While the Nadleeh, at the present moment, had the Kyrios beat in firepower. Kyrios was much faster than Nadleeh was…until Trans-Am was activated. The Nadleeh became a red blur as it circled and severely damaged the Kyrios. Then once again the Trial System was activated leaving the Kyrios crippled. The pilot was once again executed when the cockpit was destroyed. _

_Then the Dynames with the GN-Arms came along, "Tieria what the hell do you think you're doing?" Lockon roared, "You just killed Setsuna and Allelujah."_

"_None of you should have been Gundam Meisters," Tieria said, _

"_What?" Lockon asked, "And that's reason enough to kill them?"_

"_I don't see a problem with it," Tieria said, "Plus I'm eliminating the possibility of having one of them go to the Federation with our secrets. And now it's you're turn."_

"_I'm sorry Tieria but you must be stopped," Lockon said as he pulled the trigger on the person who once was his best friend._

_The smaller and faster Gundam easily dodged the attacked then fired on the Dynames, taking out a few of the smaller guns. "You can't keep up can you Lockon Stratos?" _

"_What has gotten into you?" Lockon called as he fired on the smaller Gundam. And to Tieria's surprise, the Nadleeh was not able to avoid the shots and lost a leg._

"_I didn't need that anyway!" he yelled as he dismissed the damaged leg, "People like you should have never been chosen to be Gundam Meisters!"_

"_I could say the same about you," Lockon growled as the Nadleeh targeted and took out the weapons on the left side of the GN-Arms, "Dammit!"_

"_What are you going to do now, Lockon Stratos?" Tieria asked, "I know you're blind in your right eye."_

"_I'm going to fire blindly and hope I kill you!" Lockon yelled as he fired all of his remaining weapons at the Nadleeh_

"_You're forgetting who I am!" Tieria roared _

"_You're right I am," Lockon said, "That way I don't feel bad as I kill you!"_

_//_Lockon please…please kill me…_// Tieria thought as he started feeling more and more sick as he continued watched. He knew there was no way the Dynames could win against the Nadleeh even if the Dynames was more powerful; the Nadleeh could completely shut down the other Gundam down. //_Please Neil…Kill me…_//_

_The Dynames didn't disappoint. Several of the shots fired were making contact with the smaller Gundam, causing the pilot to scream in pain. When the smoke cleared only the torso, right arm and head remained._

_//_Please tell me by some miracle I did not survive that_// Tieria thought but to his dismay the Nadleeh was still moving._

"_You've really…done it now," He growled as he coughed, probably coughing up blood in the process "You're…forgetting…what I've got…up my sleeve."_

"_You're not doing so hot right now Tieria," Lockon called, "So I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you."_

"_You're the one…who should…keep your mouth shut!" Tieria yelled, "Trial System!" _

_Nadleeh activated the Trial System just as the Dynames fired several shots at the Nadleeh, destroying the Gundam's head and hitting the core of the GN-Drive _

"_Shit," Lockon swore as his Gundam shut down, "You bastard!" _

"_Good bye…Lockon…Stratos…" Tieria gasped as he fired the GN-Beam Rifle twice, hitting each of the larger cannons that were mounted just above the Dynames._

"_TIERIA!" Lockon yelled as he ejected from the GN-Arms just in time to watch the Nadleeh explode but not fast enough to avoid the explosion from the support vessel he had just ejected from._

"No…please…" _Tieria moaned as the smoke settled_, "No…no…Lockon…let it still be there…Please…" _When the smoke cleared there were only scraps of silver, blue and green metal, _"No…It can't be…Lockon…LOCKON!"

* * *

Devon and Feldt were having a pleasant chat when they heard the monitor start beeping

"What's going on?" Devon asked

"I don't know," Feldt said, "The monitor is saying that his heart rate is much too fast…could it be from the medication?"

"No…please…" Tieria moaned as he trashed about, "No…no…Lockon…let it still be there…Please…"

"No," Devon said as she pressed her hand to Tieria's forehead, "He's having a nightmare, go get Sumeragi-san."

"No…It can't be…Lockon…LOCKON!"

"Alright," Feldt called as she went to the sick bay office to page Sumeragi.

//_Sumeragi-san please report to the sick bay immediately, Sumeragi-san please report to the sick bay immediately//_

* * *

"Shit," Sumeragi swore as she ran off to the sick bay, "I don't like the sound of that…please let him be alright…"

She entered the sick bay and found that Tieria was sitting up against the headboard of the bed. The boy looked absolutely awful. His face was ashen and sweaty, he was crying shaking uncontrollably and Sumeragi could tell that he had thrown up the little he had eaten for lunch.

"What's going on?" She asked as she walked over to the bed, "Is it the medication?"

"No," Devon said as she started to strip the soiled covers off of the bed, "He had a nightmare."

Sumeragi sighed, "Tieria," She said softly, "I need you to calm down for me okay?"

"I killed them," Tieria whispered unable to talk any louder due to the effects of a massive anxiety attack, "Setsuna F. Seiei, Allelujah Haptism and Lockon Stratos are dead because of me."

Sumeragi was taken aback, "Tieria…" She gasped, "You know that's not true."

"Yes it is," Tieria whispered, "I did it…with my own Gundam…The Nadleeh…" He then clamped his hand to his mouth and threw up again.

Sumeragi rubbed the boy's back as he coughed and dry heaved, "Calm down," Sumeragi said, "You didn't kill your comrades."

"Yes I did," Tieria choked.

Sumeragi sighed. She was having déjà vu from a time about two years ago when Tieria would wake from violent nightmares, sick and shaking. It would normally take her about an hour to calm the boy down and by that time, he was usually nearly unconscious anyway. She smiled lightly and pulled the shaking boy into a hug. She didn't care that Tieria had just thrown up on himself, he needed comforting.

"Sumeragi…" He gasped as he felt himself slowly relaxing.

"I can assure you," She said in his ear, "You did not kill any of your comrades. So please calm down."

Tieria nodded then Sumeragi released him.

"Here," Devon said as she handed Sumeragi a clean shirt for Tieria,

Sumeragi took the shirt then carefully took the soiled shirt off of Tieria and slipped the clean on him, "Take it easy okay?" She said as she pressed a cold wet cloth to his forehead.

"You can help him lay back down," Devon said as she finished putting new sheets on the bed,

Sumeragi nodded and eased Tieria back against the pillows, "Try to get more sleep alright," She said

"Your shirt…"Tieria whispered. He was still shaking pretty badly but he was starting to feel a bit better.

"Don't worry about it," Sumeragi said, "Just get some sleep."

Tieria shut his eyes and this time slipped into a much deeper and restful sleep.

* * *

Yay chapter five is done! I am very, very sorry about the sick twisted nightmare i put poor T-chan through. But writing distrubing nightmares is kind of my specialty. Well you all know the drill let me know what you think and maybe it won't take me over a month to update again. Until next time Minna-san!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	6. Plans For Recovery

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back! College is back in session so I don't know how often I'll be able to update but it will be within reason. Aside from that I've got nothing more to say about this chapter. So after the disclaimer (that Veda is making me write) you can get to the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or it's characters but the plot and Devon are mine.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Six: Plans For Recovery

_//Tieria…Tieria! Oi, Tieria…//_

_Once again Tieria found himself aware of his surroundings but not conscious. He sighed, he didn't want to be here. The last nightmare he had had, had been more than enough._

_//Tieria Erde open your eyes and talk to me this instant!//_

"_Neil…" Tieria muttered as he opened his eyes and came face to face with the fallen Meister._

"_Do you remember what we discussed the last time we talked?" Neil asked._

"_Not really," Tieria said. Everything that had happened during the past few days was a blur to him. There seemed to be a lot of things that had happened that he could not recall. _

_Neil sighed, "Do you not remember me telling you to forget what Hallelujah and the others said to you during your first nightmare?" Neil asked. Tieria shook his head and Neil sighed. "Let me put it into terms you can comprehend, YOU DID NOT KILL YOUR COMRADES! I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO DIED IN THAT BATTLE!" _

"_You mean…Allelujah and Setsuna are still alive?" Tieria asked._

_Neil smacked himself in the face with his hand, "Yes," Neil said, "Allelujah and Setsuna are still alive." Tieria smiled then gasped and fell to his knees holding his head. "You're still not well, are you?" Neil asked as he knelt beside the boy, "Lie down if you want to, I don't mind." Tieria nodded then rested his head on Neil's lap. "You're pushing yourself too hard Tieria, which is why you keep getting sick like this. I don't want you to go on anymore rescue missions, of course after what happened this time I don't think Ms. Sumeragi will let you. Take a leave of absence; it's not going to kill you if you take a few weeks off."_

"_But what if the Ptolemaios gets attacked while I'm gone?" Tieria asked, "And the Twin drive system still needs to be tested."_

"_Tieria Erde, you little workaholic," Neil said, "Everyone and I mean everyone needs to take a break sometime. You can't work twenty-four hours and seven days a week for the rest of your life. I don't care what you are. You just can't do it; your body is going to shut down on you like it did the other day and you'll end up killing yourself. Take a leave of absence Tieria, you really need one."_

"_Are you leaving?" Tieria asked groggily, almost sounding like a young child._

"_Yeah," Neil said, "You look like you're about to pass out on me, which shouldn't be possible because you're asleep right now." Neil ran his fingers through Tieria's purple hair, "Take it easy Tieria," he whispered as he watched Tieria's eyes fight to stay open for a little longer, "Sleep well."_

"_Stay," Tieria mumbled in a barely coherent tone._

_Neil then sighed as tears fell from Tieria's garnet eyes as they closed. "I know," He whispered, "I wish I could stay with you as well." Neil then watched as Tieria vanished from the dreamscape, "Take care of yourself, kid."_

* * *

Sumeragi waited for about two hours after Tieria fell back to sleep before she returned to her room. Once she got there she changed her shirt then pulled a piece of paper out of her desk.

"Tieria, I hate to do this to you," She said as she started filling out the leave of absence form, "But you need a break."

She sighed she felt terrible doing this without Tieria's knowledge but the boy's health was declining. "You need to get your mind off of your work for a little while," She said softly, "Just until you're feeling better."

"What are you doing?" Ian asked as he walked in.

"Ian," Sumeragi exclaimed as she tried to cover her work.

He looked at the paper, "A leave of absence request form for Tieria huh?" He asked, "You do realize the kid is never going to sign it."

"I know," Sumeragi sighed, "But he needs the break. If he keeps making himself sick, he won't be able work anyway."

"But what are you going to do if he refuses?" Ian asked.

Sumeragi sighed, "I don't know," Sumeragi said, "I haven't thought that far ahead yet."

"You should," Ian said, "I can't see that boy accepting the leave of absence."

Sumeragi sighed, "I know," She said softly, "But it's worth a try."

* * *

Tieria wasn't sure how much time had passed since he had woken up from that nightmare but regardless, he was feeling much better. He opened his eyes and came face to face with Mileina.

"Erde-san, you're finally awake," she said, "We were kind of worried about you after you had that nightmare. How are you feeling?"

"Better," Tieria said as he sat up a bit.

"That's good," Feldt said, "You've been asleep for a little over twenty-four hours."

"I've been asleep for a day?" Tieria asked.

"Yeah," Feldt said, "We were a little bit worried but we figured you needed the rest."

Tieria looked down and realized that the IV was no longer in his arm, "I've been taken off the medications?" he asked.

"Yeah," Feldt said, "Your fever broke yesterday and the pneumonia has cleared up. But you're on bed rest for another week. Your lungs are still weak from the pneumonia and the injury you sustained and your ribs haven't healed yet."

Tieria nodded then realized just how hungry he was, "Feldt," he said, "Could I get something to eat?"

"You're hungry?" Feldt asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said.

"What do you want?" Feldt asked.

"Just something light," Tieria said, "I don't want to overdo it. I haven't really eaten in a while."

"Okay," Feldt said, "I'll be right back."

A few minutes after Feldt left, Sumeragi entered the room.

"Tieria," She exclaimed, "You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling a lot better," Tieria said, "My chest is still a little bit stiff."

"I'm glad," Sumeragi said, "Where's Feldt?"

"She went to get me something to eat," Tieria said.

"Good," Sumeragi said, "You need to eat." She then paused, "Tieria, there's something I need to discus with you. Ian and I think you've been working much too hard lately," She fiddled with the form she had in her pocket, "We want you to take a leave of absence. It will be for a few weeks…just until you're feeling better. You can decline if you want, but you won't be able to work with the Gundams at all during that time."

Tieria nodded as he took the paper and read it over.

"I'm back," Feldt said as she walked in holding a tray of rice and some water.

"Put it on the table for now," Tieria said as he continued reading the form.

Feldt did what she was told then looked at the piece of paper, "A leave of absence request?" She said, "Sumeragi-san…what's going to happen if we're attacked?"

"The rest of us are going to head to Krung Thep while he's away," Sumeragi said, "If he chooses to go."

"Do you have a pen?" Tieria asked. Sumeragi handed the boy and pen and to her surprise, Tieria checked off the accept option then signed the form.

"Tieria…" Sumeragi gasped. Never in a million years would she have expected him to do that.

"Here," He said as he handed the form back to Sumeragi.

"But why?" Sumeragi asked still stunned at Tieria's actions.

"Because even I acknowledge the fact that I need to take a break," He said, "It's like what you wrote for reasons for absence, 'Tieria has been feeling ill for a while and has been working himself to exhaustion.'" Sumeragi was still speechless as she took the piece of paper from Tieria. "The only thing is I have no family or home on earth. Where am I to stay?"

Sumeragi snapped out of her daze at this question, "Setsuna used an apartment in Japan," She said, "Celestial Being owns it and it's not being used right now."

"When am I to leave?" Tieria asked.

"In about a week," Sumeragi said, "Or when we feel as thought you're strong enough to leave."

Tieria nodded, "Feldt, can I have what you've brought me now please?" He asked.

"Alright," She said as she took the tray off of the table and handed it to Tieria.

"Feldt," Sumeragi said, "I want to talk to you in the hall."

"Okay," The teenager said, "Tieria, I'll be right back." Tieria nodded and Feldt followed Sumeragi into the hall, "What is it?"

"I want you to accompany Tieria," Sumeragi said as she handed Feldt a piece of paper, "I don't want him going alone. It's not that I don't trust him but I would feel more at ease if he was with someone."

"I understand," Feldt said as she signed the piece of paper.

"Keep his mind off of things here," Sumeragi said, "And just be there for him."

"I will," Feldt said as she walked back into the sick bay.

"Thank you Feldt," Tieria said as he finished his meal.

"Was it enough?" Feldt asked, "I could get you more if you need it."

"No it was fine," Tieria said, "It was enough."

"That's good," Feldt said, "Are you tired at all?"

"No," Tieria said, "Is there anything I can do?" He really didn't feel like lying around for another week.

Sumeragi sighed. She knew this was going to happen. Tieria was not the type to want to lie around for another week, "I don't know," She said. But with his lungs still healing, she didn't want him to over do it. "You really should take it easy."

"Can I at least go back to my own room?" Tieria asked. He was getting tired of being in the medical room. And he wasn't exactly a huge fan of the it either, it brought up memories that he would rather forget.

"I don't see why not," Devon said as she walked into the room, "You seem well enough to make the trip. As long as you can stand up on your own, I will permit you to return to your room."

Tieria nodded and slowly stood up. He winced a bit as he was met by a bit of stiffness and pain but he was able to stand. He went to walk towards the door and nearly fell over.

"I said stand on your own not walk on your own," Devon said as Sumeragi steadied Tieria, "You haven't gotten out of bed in over a week. Let us help you."

Tieria nodded, "Thank you Sumeragi," he said as he straightened up again.

"You're welcome," Sumeragi said, "We're going to let you go back to your room, but you're supposed to be on bed rest."

"Not really," Devon said, "I used the capsule to check up on him this morning and he's recovering a lot faster than the computer predicted. I would say stay in bed for the rest of the day then tomorrow you can wander around a bit. But should I find you passed out somewhere, you'll be back on strict bed rest. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Tieria responded.

* * *

Tieria was very glad to be back in his own room. There were a few things that he wanted to check up about the last mission. But that would have to wait until tomorrow he told Devon that he would stay in bed for the rest of the day. He pushed a button on the wall and a panel revealed his extensive collection of books. He looked through the titles until he found on he wanted to read. He pulled the book off the shelf and a small envelope fell onto his bed. Tieria set the book down, picked up the envelope and opened it.

The contents of the envelope shocked him. It was all the pictures that Lockon had insisted they take together. Tieria smiled as tears came to his eyes. He didn't look happy in any of them. In almost every single picture he was either scowling or looking away until he came across this one picture where he was smiling.

It was a picture of the four of them, in their flight uniforms. He wasn't quiet sure how the older Meister had managed to get both him and Setsuna to smile, even if it was just a little bit. The two of them were still smiling.

Tieria gripped the picture tight in his hand then brought it to his chest and cried.

* * *

Sumeragi was rather concerned when she walked into Tieria's room and found the boy holding his chest and crying. She had left the him alone for all of five minutes and he somehow managed to get himself into some kind of trouble.

"Tieria!" She cried, "What's wrong? Tieria!" She bit her lip when the boy didn't respond. She immediately started thinking the worst, until she saw the photographs scattered on his bed. She sighed and gently pulled the boy into a hug, "I know what it's like to lose a close friend," She said softly, "It's really hard at first but it will get easier."

Tieria didn't respond. But Sumeragi could understand. She could tell that Tieria had been silently suffering for years. And she knew that he needed to get all of this out.

"We decided that you're going to leave in two days," Sumeragi said, "Feldt is going to go with you. Is that alright?" Tieria nodded. "Why don't you take a little nap," She suggested, "You look exhausted."

Tieria nodded and handed the photograph to Sumeragi. She looked at the picture, "You look happy in this picture," She said, "You have a nice smile, you should do it more often."

Tieria just nodded and shut his eyes. He was feeling rather tired. He wasn't sure if it was from walking back his room or from working himself up. But whatever the case was, he was exhausted.

"Sleep well, Tieria," Sumeragi said as she walked out of the room to let the boy rest.

* * *

So Sumeragi is sending Tieria to Earth for a while with Feldt. How is that going to play out? And after an undisclosed amount of time, Tieria is finally feeling better…for the most part. Until next time Minna-san!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	7. Life, Relatively Back to Normal

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back! I was a bad college student, this chapter was mostly written during long boring lectures that I was _supposed _to be paying attention to but I feel as though fan fiction is more important. There's really nothing much for me to say so you can get started.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or it's characters but the plot and Devon are mine.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Seven: Life, Relatively Back to Normal

The next time Tieria woke up he found Feldt sitting in front of his bed.

"Good morning Tieria," She said.

"Did I really sleep all night?" Tieria asked sounding rather panicked.

"No, you didn't," Feldt said, "It's about seven thirty in the evening. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I just want something light."

"Okay," Feldt said, "Sumeragi made soup for supper. I'll bring you some."

"Thank you," Tieria said.

"Sumeragi wants you to check the mission recorder as soon as you can." Feldt said, "Something odd came up."

"Okay," Tieria said, "I'll check it tomorrow." As much as he wanted to check the recorder, he just wanted to relax for the rest of the night. He was feeling a lot better and he just didn't want to work himself up again. He picked up the book that was on his desk. He had read the book countless times but it was the book he liked the most.

He was so engrossed in his book he didn't hear Feldt reenter his room and he jumped when she placed her hand on Tieria's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," She said, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's alright," Tieria said as he tried to calm down a bit. He put the book down and straightened up a bit.

"You're reading that book again?" Feldt asked as she handed the tray to Tieria.

"I've read all of the other books I own and this one is my favorite," Tieria said, "I need more books."

"What kind of books?" Feldt asked.

"Most of the books I have are non-fiction," Tieria said, "I would like to read some classic fiction. Maybe some Shakespeare, Poe, even some Stephen King would be nice."

"Classic English Authors," Feldt said, "I take it you want them in English."

"Yeah," Tieria said, "Translations just aren't the same as the original language version."

"I've been wanting to ask you this for a while," Feldt asked, "How many languages can you speak?"

"Eight," Tieria answered, "I'm fluent in English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Chinese, Russian and Spanish."

"That's amazing," Feldt said, "I was wondering why you had so many books in other languages in your collection." She paused as the door to the room opened.

"Good, you're eating," Sumeragi said as she walked over to Tieria, "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Don't worry about it," Sumeragi said, "You were upset. If anyone had the right to be upset it was you."

Tieria nodded then finished the soup that Feldt had brought for him, "Thank you Feldt," He said.

"Do you want anything else?" Feldt asked.

"No, I'm all set." Tieria responded.

"Now that you're feeling better Tieria," Sumeragi said, "There are a few things that we need to discus. Why did you sortie if you were feeling so sick? You seriously could have killed yourself with that little stunt you pulled the other day."

Tieria sighed. He knew what he had done was a reckless move on his part. But at the time it was something that he felt he needed to do. "I felt responsible for the disappearance of Setsuna and Allelujah." Tieria said, "I thought that if I had a little bit more careful while piloting the GN-004 Gundam Nadleeh during Operation Fallen Angels, they would still be here."

Sumeragi sighed, "Tieria…"

"I can promise you that I no longer feel that way," Tieria said, "I guess you could say that I was proposing the search missions to keep myself distracted in a way. I figured that if I could keep myself busy that I could forget everything that had happened two years ago but the only thing I managed to do was to make myself sick working to exhaustion."

"That still doesn't explain why you weren't sleeping or eating very much," Sumeragi said, "Do you have an explanation for that?"

Tieria sighed, "I felt ill nearly all the time," he said, "And eating only made it worse." He paused, "As for not sleeping, I was still having nightmares about what happened two years ago."

Sumeragi sighed. She knew that Tieria wasn't used to dealing with extreme emotion. She knew that was why he had been sick for at least a month after he had recovered from the severe injuries he had sustained during the battle. "I know this is going to sound redundant but are you feeling better now?" she asked.

"Yes," Tieria said, "I was visited by Lockon in my sleep a few times when I was ill. He told me to stop worrying so much and to stop going on search missions. He also told me that Allelujah and Setsuna are still alive somehow. It's difficult for me to grasp but I think I understand."

"He visited you more times than you know," Sumeragi said.

Tieria's eyes widened, "What…what do you mean?" He asked.

"I take it you haven't seen the mission recorder," She said, "You really should do so with us around."

Tieria sighed. If Sumeragi was telling him to watch the mission recorder with her and Feldt in the room then he figured it would probably upset him to some extent. He stood up and walked over to his desk. "If you insist," he said as he brought up the video record of the mission. And when he saw shortly after he had lost consciousness stunned him, "Lockon…" He gasped.

"_Tieria…you're not going down…not on my watch." _

Tieria then watched as the apparition took over the controls of the Gundam and it slowly stopped.

"_Dammit kid, even when I'm dead, I'm still savin' your ass…there you should_ _be alright now…Take care of yourself Tieria."_

"Neil…" Tieria muttered, "He…did it again…He saved my life…again…why…?"

"Tieria!" Sumeragi cried as the boy's garnet eyes slid shut and he slumped to the ground. She quickly moved to catch him, even though she knew that in the low gravity environment the likelihood of him hitting something on his way down was low but that was not something she wanted to chance. However she forgot to put Tieria's still healing broken ribs into account and he gasped in pain. "Tieria, are you alright!?" She called as the boy went limp in her arms. "Tieria! Tieria please respond!" She sighed and mentally kicked herself for forgetting about the injuries the boy had sustained, "Feldt, go get a cool cloth for his forehead."

Feldt nodded and left the room as Sumeragi gently lifted Tieria and carried him over to his bed. His expression wasn't a look of pain but it was a look of discomfort and sadness. //He's still suffering so much// She thought as she pulled the covers over the boy, //I wish there was someway to help him cope with what he's been through//

"Here Sumeragi," Feldt said as she handed the cloth off.

"Thank you Feldt," Sumeragi said as she placed the cloth on the boy's head. After a few minutes Tieria started to stir a bit.

"Sumeragi what happened?" Tieria asked groggily as his eyes opened about a minute or so later.

"I'm sorry," Sumeragi said, "You fainted because of me. When you collapsed like that I panicked and tried to catch and during the process I hit you in the side. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright…ugh…" Tieria gasped as he tried to sit up but was met by an unbearable pain. He put his hand to his side as it throbbed.

Sumeragi sighed. She knew how sensitive and painful broken bones were, especially broken ribs. Normally, she would have administered a pain killer, but Tieria's body did not take to medication well. So, while the other Meisters would be uncomfortable but not in pain when they were injured, Tieria would have to deal with the excruciating pain. She walked over to the bed and gently rested him against the pillows, "Perhaps you should take it easy for the rest of the night," She said, "Tieria, I'm really sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry," He said as the pain began to die down, "I told you it was alright."

"But I still feel really bad," Sumeragi said.

"It wasn't your fault!" Tieria said sternly, "You saw that I had collapsed and you did what you thought was best. For all we know I could have bashed my head on something if you didn't catch me. Stop blaming yourself for every little thing that goes wrong around here! I'm sick of hearing it!"

Sumeragi was taken aback. Two years ago Tieria would have never said anything along those lines. If what had just happened had happened two years ago, Tieria still would have yelled at her. The only difference would have been that Tieria would have also blamed her for every little thing that went wrong. "You've changed…" She couldn't find any other words to say to the purple haired Meister. But it was the truth. Two years ago Tieria would have pinned the blame of the failed search mission on her, like he had done when he had revealed the Nadleeh much earlier than planed. But _he _took the blame for it.

"Did you expect otherwise, Sumeragi Li Noriega?" Tieria asked smirking a bit.

"Huh?" Sumeragi asked causing both Feldt and Tieria to start laughing at her, "That was a trick question, Tieria Erde!" She yelled completely flustered at Tieria's "joke."

"It really wasn't," Tieria said, "I was just questioning how, after everything I went through in the past two years or so, you would think that I had not changed."

Sumeragi huffed, "Just be thankful you're injured, Tieria Erde," She said as she turned to the door. "I expect the two of you to pack tomorrow. I'll take my leave now."

"She's not very happy with me now is she?" Tieria asked.

"I wouldn't say so," Feldt said, "Do you need anything else?"

"No, I'm fine," Tieria said, "You don't have to stay. I'm probably going to just do some reading then check the news."

Feldt nodded then left the room. Tieria slowly sat up, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his side. When the pains died down, he stood up and walked over to the desk. He brought up several different news websites in several different languages. He sighed as he skimmed the pages, nothing much had happened since the start of their armed interventions two years ago. The world was still a mess. There was still war in the Middle East. The only thing that had really happened was the federation government's new branch of the military, The Autonomous Peace Keeping Force, known as the A-Laws for short.

The A-Laws kind of amused Tieria in a way, but he knew that eventually he would end up having to deal with them. He didn't quite know why he found it amusing, perhaps it was the Federation's almost half-assed attempt to compete with them. But whatever the reason was, he found it amusing. He sighed as he turned off his computer. Even though the news changed everyday, if you looked at it in the long term, it never really changed.

He got back in bed and looked at his watch. It was only about eight Greenwich Mean Time, Tieria figured that he would finish the book he started then sleep. But for whatever reason, he was still rather tired. He had spent so much time sleeping in the past week or so, but then again, he had been sick with Pneumonia. He picked up the book and started reading.

* * *

Tieria must have fallen asleep without realizing it because the next time he looked at his watch it read seven thirty. At first he was rather confused as to how an analogue watch would go back about an hour, but then he realized that it was seven thirty in the morning. He slowly sat up and found that his side wasn't nearly as painful as it had been the night before. Slowly got out of bed noticed that the book he had been reading the night before had fallen to the floor, he picked it up and found that he had only read about one hundred pages or so. He then got dressed and went to start his day.

* * *

Sumeragi was rather surprised when Tieria walked into the dining room.

"Good morning Tieria," Sumeragi said, "How are you today?"

"Not bad," Tieria said, "My side isn't hurting nearly as bad today as it did yesterday and I'm not as tired as I've been in the past few days."

"That's good," Sumeragi said, "I have a question, what time did you go to bed last night? I came to check on you at about quarter past nine and you were already asleep."

"I must have fallen asleep while I was reading," Tieria said, "Because I checked my watch at about eight and the next thing I knew it was seven thirty."

"I want you to pack today," Sumeragi said, "You're leaving tomorrow. You might want to pack warmer clothing, it's late November and it gets cold in Japan around this time of year. Obviously, you can't wear your uniform, do you have something other than that pink thing?"

"Are you making fun of the way I dress?" Tieria asked.

"No," Sumeragi said, "It's just…"

"It's just what?" Tieria asked.

"Well…most guys don't really wear pink," Sumeragi said, "And I just want to know if you had anything else."

"I think the only other thing I have is a light blue sweater," Tieria said, "Is that acceptable?"

Sumeragi sighed, "I guess," She said, "What about a jacket?"

"I've been in space for most of my life," Tieria said, "What would I need a jacket for?"

"That's true," Sumeragi said as the door opened, "Good morning Feldt. Oh one of the first things the two of you are going to do when you get to Japan is buy Tieria some new clothes. He's got almost nothing to wear."

"I have plenty to wear," Tieria said, "You just won't let me wear any of the stuff I own."

"That's because most guys in Japan don't wear pink sweaters," Sumeragi said, "With pale yellow shirts underneath it. It's just not socially acceptable."

"Since when have any of us been socially acceptable?" Tieria shot back.

"Touché," Sumeragi said, "But I still won't let you wear that _thing _you call an article of clothing."

"I'll wear whatever the hell I want to wear!" Tieria said.

"Stop it!" Feldt called, "I sure we can find something in Tieria's closet that he could wear."

Tieria sighed. He was against two females in a battle of fashion, there was no way he was going to win. He never really cared about what he wore, as long as it was warm and comfortable he really didn't care about the color of style of the clothing.

"Fine," He said, "You win. I'll leave that outfit here."

"Oh we're still going to ransack your wardrobe," Sumeragi said, "It's pay back for last night. So, have breakfast now because once we start in your room we're not leaving until we get a few _suitable _outfits for you to wear."

* * *

Tieria sighed as he stood in his room as Feldt and Sumeragi went through his clothes.

"What about this?" Feldt said as she held up a short sleeved white button down blouse.

"It would be a bit cold," Sumeragi said, "But it would work, keep it on the side."

"Well here's the blue sweater he was talking about," Feldt said, "Should I put that aside?"

"Yeah," Sumeragi said, "Dear god Tieria, you really _don't _have a lot of clothes. We may not have a choice, we may have to let you wear that abomination after all."

"What about some of the clothes that we have from the others?" Feldt asked.

"It wouldn't work," Sumeragi said, "Tieria is a lot smaller than Allelujah, Lockon, Lasse and even Lichty. Their clothes would just look ridiculous on him. And Setsuna's clothes would be too small for him."

"Ooh here's a green shirt," Feldt said, "This would work."

After an hour Feldt and Sumeragi had only managed to find four outfits that Tieria could wear.

"Okay," Sumeragi said, "Here's what we're going to do. After you get to Japan tomorrow, the two of you are going to go shopping. You with both be given a bank card. Don't hold back on spending, we've got plenty of funds."

Tieria sighed as he looked up from his book, "What are we going to do about food?" He asked, "I can't cook and I'm not going to do take out every night."

"I can cook," Feldt said, "And there are organic supermarkets that sell prepared foods we can get some of that."

Tieria nodded and went back to his book.

"Well now that we've found some outfits for you to wear, you're responsible for packing it," Sumeragi said, "I'll be back in a bit with a list of stuff for you to buy."

Tieria nodded. He was almost not looking forward to the list that Sumeragi was going to bring to him. He expected it to be about six pages long or so and he just wasn't looking forward to shopping for clothes that he would probably never wear again. "What time are we leaving tomorrow?" he asked.

"Early," Sumeragi said, "Your train is leaving at seven Greenwich Mean Time. Meaning you'll be leaving on the shuttle at about five in the morning. I know you've been sleeping a lot lately but try to go to bed early tonight so you're not tired tomorrow."

Tieria nodded.

"Well, you're probably fed up with me right now so I'm going to leave you alone now," Sumeragi said.

"Thank you Sumeragi," Tieria said as she left the room. He then turned back to his book and he planed to enjoy the last day he would send on the ship until sometime in January.

* * *

Poor Tieria, he's out numbered two to one with Feldt and Sumeragi around. So right now the score for that battle is Sumeragi: 1 Tieria: 1, so it's tied. Who is going to win? It was kind of a fluff chapter, I know but I do need some transitions. Oh and November is write a novel month, so, Happy Write a novel month! Until next time Minna-san!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	8. Coffee, Water Guns and Not Enough Sleep

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back! I am basically done with school for this semester (well minus the last nine days of class I have to attend but I'll manage). And I am really looking forward to the nice six or so weeks off. But enough about me, I'll let you get to the chapter once the thoroughly annoying disclaimer passes. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or it's characters but the plot and Devon are mine.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Eight: Coffee, Water Guns, and Not Enough Sleep

For the first time in well over a week Tieria found it difficult to sleep. He had gone to bed at nine Greenwich Mean Time and he ended up lying awake in bed until almost one when he had finally fallen asleep, only to be woken up three hours later. He slowly got dressed and headed to the dinning room.

"It's about time Tieria," Sumeragi said as he entered the room and was immediately handed a steaming mug of black coffee, "You look awful," She said as she placed her hand on Tieria's forehead, "Oh good you're not feverish."

"I couldn't sleep last night," Tieria said as he took a sip of the strong coffee then put his head down on the table.

"Figures," Sumeragi said, "The night you need to sleep is the night you don't sleep. I guess you can change the shopping trip for later on in the day if you really need a nap when you get to Japan." Tieria nodded and took another sip of the coffee, "I did you pack?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "Where's Feldt?"

"Right here," She said as she walked out from the kitchen with three trays of food, "I didn't think you would get here after me Tieria."

"I couldn't sleep last night," Tieria said as he finished his coffee and took his glasses off.

"Well what do you expect?" Ian said, "In the past week and a half or so you've spent about fifteen to eighteen hours asleep."

"Leave him alone," Sumeragi said, "He's been sick."

"But it's good in a way," Feldt said, "It means he's recovered fully."

Tieria sighed and put his head back down on his arms. He could barely keep his eyes open and he wanted to sleep but he knew that he needed to stay awake.

"Tieria," Ian called.

"What is it?" He asked as he lifted his head. Almost as soon as he did this, Ian splashed a cup of ice cold water at his face.

"Every time I think you're going to nod off I am going to do that." Ian said.

"Thank you," Tieria said as he wiped the water out of his eyes, "I needed that. When are we leaving?"

"In about half an hour," Sumeragi said, "That gives you just enough time to eat."

Tieria sighed and started eating. He was so incredibly tired, he wasn't sure if he was going to stay awake during the trip to the orbital station. "Will I be able to sleep on the way to the orbital station?" he asked.

"No," Ian said as he readied another cup of water, "We need someone to pilot the shuttle."

"What?!" Sumeragi exclaimed, "He can barely keep his eyes open and you want him to pilot!?" She turned towards Tieria, "Yes Tieria, you can sleep on the way to the orbital station."

"I was just kidding," Ian said as he refilled Tieria's coffee mug, "I know the kid's in no condition to pilot. Don't worry kid, that coffee right there should wake you up."

Tieria took a sip of the coffee and nearly spit it out. He like his coffee strong but the coffee he had now was nearly too strong for even his liking. He struggled to get it down and when he did he shuddered.

Ian laughed, "What's the matter?" He asked, "Too strong for even your taste?"

Tieria nodded as he took a sip of the milk he had asked for to try and get the nearly sickening aftertaste out of his mouth.

Sumeragi looked as her watch, "Well we should all get ready to go," She said, "It's almost five. Tieria, are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah," he said as he stood up.

"Okay," Sumeragi said, "I want you to get your things and head down to the shuttle." Tieria and Feldt nodded and left the room. Sumeragi then picked up Tieria's abandoned coffee mug and sniffed it, "What did you put in this?" She asked.

"Vodka," Ian said.

"You put vodka in Tieria's coffee!?" Sumeragi yelled.

"I thought it would help him," Ian said sheepishly.

Sumeragi sighed, "You _know_ that Tieria can't hold his liquor!" She yelled, "And yet you still gave it to him! If Tieria gets sick, I am going to have your head!"

* * *

Luckily for Ian, the spiked coffee did not make Tieria feel sick but it had not helped him to wake up either. Almost the minute that Tieria sat down on the shuttle he fell asleep.

Ian sighed, "When we get to the orbital station I am NOT going to be the one to wake him up," He said.

Sumeragi gave him a 'that's what you think look,' "Alright then," She said, "I'll just have to tell him about what you slipped into his coffee."

"Fine," Ian said, "I'll wake him up! I'll wake him up!"

"Good," Sumeragi said, "Have fun, then." She handed Ian two thick packets of paper, "Here," She said as she took one of them, "This one is Tieria's. It has his train ticket, a fake passport, fake id, fake military id, license to carry the gun on him at all times, a debit card, shopping list, his communicator, and two hundred dollars cash. Make sure he gets it when he wakes, along with this." She handed the stack of papers to Ian along with a hand gun and Tieria's glasses.

"Why can't you give it to him?" Ian asked as he took the gun and papers from Sumeragi.

"Well, _someone _has to hold up the fort," She said, "And seeing that _you _tried to get Tieria drunk, I get to stay here and sleep for a bit longer."

"I did not try to get Tieria drunk," Ian said, "I was just trying to wake him up."

"Yeah alright," Sumeragi said, "I tasted the coffee, you put enough vodka in there to get him good and drunk and Tieria has a low tolerance for alcohol. The next time I catch you giving any of my pilots liquor, I will have you head."

"Yes," Ian said, "Well we should get going."

"Have fun," Sumeragi said as she handed Feldt a packet as well, "Keep me updated. I'm planning a little party for his birthday. I'll give you more info as it gets closer to the ninth of December. Take care of him for me, please."

"I will," Feldt said as she took the packet from Sumeragi, "See you."

"Have fun." She then left the shuttle and watched as it took off. "And now, some me time." She said as she headed to her room.

* * *

Tieria was not happy to be woken up when they got to the orbital station. Granted Ian's method of doing so was opening the visor on his helmet and blasting him in the face with a water gun.

"Good morning Tieria," Ian said loudly, "We're at the orbital station so you need to wake up now."

Tieria rubbed the water from his eyes and face, "Did you have to use water?" he asked.

"Yes," Ian said, "Hurry up and take your flight suit off...you _do _have something underneath it right?"

"Of course I do," Tieria said as he removed his helmet and unzipped his flight suit, "I'm not that stupid."

"Just making sure," Ian said, "There is a young lady in the room." He handed a glasses case to the boy. "We don't need her seeing something she shouldn't see."

Tieria scoffed, "And this is coming from the village pervert?" he said as he took his glasses, "Well come on we have to go through customs. We should get going."

"Here," Ian said as he handed the packet of papers and the gun to Tieria, "Sumeragi told me to give these to you."

"Where is Sumeragi?" Tieria asked as he took the papers and the gun from Ian.

"I lost a bet and she got to stay on the Ptolemaios," Ian said.

"Does it have something to do with the coffee you gave me?" Tieria asked, "Because I know that you put alcohol in it. The taste of vodka is very hard to disguise."

Ian sighed, "I didn't think you could remember what vodka tasted like," Ian said.

"You truly are an idiot Ian Vashti." Tieria said as he took the ticket, military id, and license for the gun out of the packet. He then walked out of the shuttle.

"Don't look at me," Lasse said as Feldt also left the shuttle, "Tieria's got you beat there."

* * *

Tieria and Feldt had gone through customs a lot faster than they had expected, seeing that Tieria had a gun in his possession. But then again, Feldt and Tieria were posing as members of the Union military.

"I hope you two have a pleasant trip to earth," the attendant said as she led them to their cabin.

"Thank you," Tieria said.

"Although you both seem very young to be in the military," She said, "But your reasons for enlisting at such an age are none of my business. Would either of you like something to eat or drink?"

"No thank you," Feldt said, "We've already eaten."

"Alright," the attendant said, "My name is Caitlin, if you need anything just call me."

"Thank you," Tieria said as the attendant left, "Feldt, I'm going to sleep a bit more, wake me if I'm still asleep when we get to the surface."

"Okay," Feldt said as she dimmed the lights in the cabin so that Tieria wouldn't be bothered, "Sleep well."

* * *

Tieria was extremely groggy when Feldt woke him up. He had slept the entire way to the surface and waking him up had not been easy.

"How are we going to get to Japan?" Tieria asked for the third time.

"Wang Liu Mei set up an escort," Feldt said, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm still tired," Tieria said.

"Do you want to postpone our shopping trip a bit?" Feldt asked.

Tieria shook his head, "We need to buy food," He said, "That takes priority right now."

Feldt nodded, "I understand," She said, "But you still look really tired."

"I'll be alright," Tieria said. When he stood up he was met with a sharp pain in his side.

"What's wrong?" Feldt asked as she watched Tieria put his hand to his side, "It's your side, isn't it?" Tieria nodded and Feldt sighed, "It's the gravity. That injury is going to be a bit more painful until it heals completely."

Tieria nodded as the pain receded a bit, "It's alright now," he said as he straightened up, "Come on."

* * *

When Feldt and Tieria entered the main part of the station they were greeted by Wang Liu Mei and Hong Long.

"It's been a while," Wang Liu Mei said, "How are you both doing?"

"We're doing alright," Feldt said, "I think it's safe to say that we've both been better, though."

"So I've heard," Wang Liu Mei said, "You're looking a little pale Tieria, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm just tired," Tieria said, "I was sick for a while and I've just gotten over it."

"I see," She said, "Well come on. I'm sure you two have a lot to do once you get to Japan."

* * *

Tieria and Feldt found that the apartment building that they were going to be residing in for a while was very close to the major shopping district.

"Hello there," A voice came as they were about to enter the apartment.

Feldt and Tieria turned to face a teenaged boy, "Hello," Feldt said.

"So, they rented this unit to another person," the boy said, "My name is Saji Crossroad, I live in the next unit."

"My name is Feldt Grace,"

"Tieria Erde,"

Saji looked at Tieria, "Oh, wow," He said, "I'm sorry, I thought you were both girls for a minute."

Tieria sighed. When his comrades said something of that nature, he completely flipped out on them. But things were different now, "I get that a lot," He said.

"So where are you two from?" Saji asked, "You both have such unusual names."

"We're on leave from the Union military," Feldt said.

"I see," Saji said, "Well if you need anything at all let me know."

"There is something," Tieria said, "We're not familiar with this area and we were wondering if you could direct us to the super market."

"Sure," Saji said, "Just let me get changed and I'll be happy to help you."

Tieria nodded. He unlocked the door to the apartment and found that it was a quaint little unit, just big enough of the two of them to live there for a while. "I'm surprised that Setsuna kept it so clean," Tieria said, "I was expecting it to be a mess."

Feldt sighed. She knew that Tieria and Setsuna never got along. Tieria had been easy on the insults as of late and she wondered if his comment was just a result of being tired or if he was reverting to the way he was two years earlier. Though, she wouldn't be troubled if that was the case she found Tieria's recent behavior to be almost unsettling and she kind of missed the normal stoic Tieria. "He never really lived here for very long," She said, "And he probably hasn't been here in years."

"That's true," Tieria said.

"Saji-san is really nice isn't he?" Feldt asked to try and change the subject.

"We really shouldn't get too close to him," Tieria said listlessly, "He may be our neighbor but you can never be too cautious these days."

Feldt sighed again. She knew that Tieria was exhausted, she could see it in his face. "Do you want to stay here and sleep while I go shopping with Saji-san?" She asked.

"I can't have you do that," Tieria said bitterly, "We've just met him! We can't trust anyone here!"

"It'll be fine," Feldt said, "You were the one who asked him!" Tieria recoiled. Feldt had him there. "Don't worry about it. Saji-san can't be that much older than me. Please Tieria, stay here and rest for a bit."

Tieria sighed, once again, Feldt had him beat, "Alright," He said, "But please keep your communicator on you."

"You really are a kind person," Feldt said as Tieria walked towards one of the bedrooms, "Thank you for worrying about me."

Tieria looked at the girl as there was a knock at the door, "You shouldn't keep him waiting," He said ignoring the girl's statement, "Don't be gone too long."

"Alright," Feldt said, "Try to get some rest, Tieria." She then opened the door and left the apartment.

* * *

So they made it to Japan without much incident, minus some vodka spiked coffee and a water gun to the face. And has Tieria reverted to the way he used to be or is he just way overtired or did the spiked coffee play some role in that? We'll probably find out once he wakes up from a nice long nap and maybe something to eat. (He didn't eat much at breakfast just to let you know). Oh well, until next time Minna-san!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	9. Trying to Adjust

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back! I am basically done with school for this semester (well minus the last nine days of class I have to attend but I'll manage). And I am really looking forward to the nice six or so weeks off. But enough about me, I'll let you get to the chapter once the thoroughly annoying disclaimer passes. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or it's characters but the plot and Devon are mine.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Nine: Trying to Adjust

Tieria woke up to a very pleasant smell and he realized how hungry he was. He had not been very hungry at breakfast so he hadn't eaten much. He sat up, got out of bed then went to the kitchen.

"Ah, Tieria," Feldt said, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Tieria said.

"Good afternoon, Tieria," Saji said as he looked up from the stove, "I hope you're hungry. Feldt mentioned that you couldn't cook very well so I volunteered to cook for you two. I live on my own and I really like cooking for others."

Tieria nodded, "Thank you," he said, "Everything I try to cook ends up extremely burnt or inedible."

Feldt sighed in relief. Apparently Tieria's earlier behavior had just been a result of exhaustion.

"It should be ready in a few minutes," Saji said, "I've made you some traditional Japanese cuisine while keeping it as healthy as I could. Feldt also mentioned that you preferred to eat healthy."

"It smells good," Tieria said, "I kind of need something besides soggy rice and vegetables and tough meat."

"I thought you liked it," Feldt said,

"It gets unappetizing after a while," Tieria said listlessly.

"I know it does," Feldt said, "That is basically what I've lived on."

"So," Saji said as he placed a plate in front of Tieria and another in front of Feldt, "You two seem very close, are you dating?"

"We're siblings," Tieria responded, "Feldt is my younger sister." Technically, it was true. Tieria had known Feldt since she was about eight or nine and he had known Mileina since she was three or four and for some strange reason, both girls had taken a liking to him. Both girls, especially Mileina, would often call him 'Tieria oniisan' or 'T-eria-niichan' when they were younger.

"Oh wow," Saji said, "Yeah I guess I can see the resemblance between the two of you."

Feldt was taken rather off guard. She would not have expected to Tieria to answer like that and she was touched. Tieria may have come across as cold and stoic to others but he really was a kind person once you got to know him and if you looked past his almost anti-social manner.

"Well," Saji said, "It's done. I hope you two enjoy it."

"Thank you," Tieria said as he took the break-apart chopsticks. He had only used chopsticks maybe one time in his life and he wasn't sure if he remembered how to use them.

"What's wrong Tieria?" Feldt asked, "Do you not know how to use chopsticks?"

"Not really," Tieria said as he broke them apart.

"I have western silverware if you want," Saji said.

"It's aright," Tieria said as he tried to model what Feldt was doing with her chopsticks, "Is this right?"

Saji looked at the chopsticks in Tieria's hand, "No, not quite," he said, "Can I help you with it?" Tieria nodded and Saji placed the chopsticks correctly, "They're held like this."

"Thank you," Tieria said as he turned to his plate, "Itatakimasu." He took a bite of the soba dish that Saji had gave him and found that it was quite good. "This is really good, Saji."

"I'm glad you like it," Saji said, "Feldt said that you were kind of picky when it comes to food."

"Aren't you going to have any Saji?" Feldt asked.

"I'm probably going to put some in a container," Saji said, "I have to head to work in a little bit."

"Okay," Feldt said. "Before you go, could you tell us how to get to the main shopping district?"

"Sure," Saji said, "You can actually take the bus directly to the center of the shopping district. I'll write down what routes to take."

"Thank you," Feldt said.

"So you said that the two of you are on leave from the military," Saji said, "How long are you going to be here for?"

"About a month," Tieria said.

"So you'll be here for Christmas then," Saji said, "Do you celebrate Christmas?"

"Yeah," Feldt said, "But since we joined the military it's been a lot different for us."

"Will you family be coming to visit you?" Saji asked.

"Probably not." Tieria said in a bitter tone, "Our parents haven't contacted us in over two years. I think they assumed that we had been killed during Fallen Angels."

"That's awful," Saji said as he looked at his watch, "Well I have to get going."

"See you later," Saji said as he took a small portion of what he had made and left, "You guys keep the leftovers."

"Thank you," Tieria said as he stood up and put his empty plate in the sink.

"Tieria," Feldt said, "Do you really see me as your younger sister?"

Tieria turned to face the younger girl, "Of course," He said, "I've known you since you were about eight or nine. Plus you used to call me oniisan all the time. As far as I'm concerned, the members of Celestial Being are my family members. Why else would I worry about you?"

Feldt nodded and resisted the urge to cry. She had never, in the eight or so years that she knew Tieria, heard him say anything like that before. She walked up to him and hugged him, "Thank you," She whispered.

"It's the truth," Tieria said.

"Should we head to the shopping district?" Feldt asked as she let go of Tieria.

"You look exhausted Feldt," Tieria said, "You were up early this morning, why don't you take a nap then we can go shopping afterwards."

Feldt nodded, "That sounds like a good idea," She said.

"Sleep well Feldt," Tieria said.

"Thanks," She said as she went off to one of the bedrooms.

Tieria then turned to the kitchen and began cleaning up from lunch. He had gotten half way through doing the dishes when Feldt's communicator went off. He dried his hands and picked up the device.

"Tieria," He said after he pushed the accept call button.

//Tieria?// Sumeragi asked.

"Sumeragi," Tieria said.

//Where's Feldt?// Sumeragi asked, //I wanted to talk to her about something//

"She's asleep," Tieria said, "She decided to take a little nap."

//Okay// Sumeragi said, //How are you doing?///

"I'm not bad," Tieria said, "My side is bothering me quite a bit but aside from that I can't really complain."

//That's good// Sumeragi said, //Well it's not good that your side is bothering you but it's good that you're not feeling sick. Ian put vodka in your coffee//

"Oh I know," Tieria said, "I may not drink alcohol however I do know what vodka tastes like. Neil tricked me into trying it once and I don't understand how anyone can drink that stuff."

//You'll understand when you're older// Sumeragi laughed. She had had the same conversation with Allelujah a few years ago, //Trust me//

"I don't age," Tieria said.

//You know what I mean// She said, //How about this, you'll understand when you're wiser//

Tieria sighed, "What are we going to do with you?" He asked, "Have you gotten to Lagrange Three yet?"

//Not yet// Sumeragi said, //We still have about three to four hours before we get there but don't worry about it too much, we haven't run into any trouble//

"Please, let me know when you get there," Tieria said.

//I will// Sumeragi said, //Well I'm sure you have a lot to do so I'm going to let you go now. But before I do, have you and Feldt figured out what you are going to do about food?//

"Actually our next door neighbor has offered to cook for us," Tieria said.

//Really?// Sumeragi said, //Well that's nice of that person. What are they like?//

"I would say that he's about Setsuna's age, maybe a bit older," Tieria said, "Eighteen or nineteen years old maybe. He said that he lives by himself and likes cooking for others."

//Well that's nice of him// Sumeragi said, //Make sure you do a little something for him before you leave//

"I will," Tieria said.

//Alright then, I'm going to let you go now// She said //Take care of yourself Tieria and don't worry about us, we'll be fine//

"I'll talk to you later," Tieria said,

//Yup// Sumeragi said, //Bye//

Tieria sighed as Sumeragi closed the communications line. He drained the water in the sink and sat down on the couch. His side was starting to throb, the gravity was really affecting the ribs he had broken. He carefully rested against the couch figuring that he would be fine if he lay down for a bit.

_

* * *

He found himself at Lagrange Three, which he thought was odd because normally it was Lagrange one that haunted his unconscious. He then spotted a team of GN-X units followed by _his_ Gundam heading towards the Ptolemaios._

_//_What's going on here?//_ He thought as the group of Mobile Suits readied their weapons, //_Don't tell me…//

_He was about to do it again, he was about to watch himself execute his comrades again._

_//_No…please no…not this again, please…// _He thought as he watched the Seravee Gundam give commands to fire on the Ptolemaios._

_The GN-X team then began destroying the Ptolemaios until only the bridge remained. The Seravee then raised its hand, ordering the other Mobile Suits to cease fire. The heavy assault Gundam then positioned itself in front of the bridge, activated Trans-Am, then used the GN-Bazooka II Burst mode to destroy what was left of the Ptolemaios. _

_//_NO…don't tell me…// _Tieria cried when the smoke cleared and there was nothing left of the ship, //_I did…I did it again…why…why does this keep happening?//

_Then he watched as the GN-X team proceeded to ambush Krung Thep, under his command._

_//_What does this mean…why do I keep seeing these things…I don't understand it at all!//

_He felt sick to his stomach. He knew what he was watching wasn't real but for some reason he couldn't seem to convince himself that it was a dream. He could feel himself beginning to panic. //_I need to wake up…I need to wake up…please… someone anyone…WAKE ME UP!//

"Tieria! Tieria what's wrong? Tieria Erde, please…wake up!"

* * *

Feldt had just woken up when she heard Tieria moaning in the other room. She hurried out of bed and found him sleeping on the couch, his face pale and clammy.

"What does this mean…" Tieria almost whimpered in his sleep, "Why do I keep seeing these things…I don't understand it at all…"

Feldt went to the washroom and ran a face towel under cold water. All the Meisters would have nightmares but it seemed as though Tieria would have them much more frequently than the others. And it seemed as though the nightmares that Tieria would suffer through were much more violent than those of the others as well. While the others would just wake with a start drenched in a cold sweat and possibly screaming, Tieria would wake up shaking uncontrollably, crying and every so often, sick to his stomach.

"I need to wake up…" Tieria said, "I need to wake up…please…someone, anyone…WAKE ME UP!"

Feldt placed the cloth on Tieria's forehead, "Tieria!" She called out trying to wake him, "Tieria, what's wrong?" When he didn't respond she tried harder to wake him, "Tieria Erde, please…wake up!"

With that his garnet eyes shot open and he bolted upright, causing a sharp pain to rip though his side and he cried out in pain.

Feldt gently eased him back up against the couch, "Take it easy," She said as she pressed the cloth to his forehead again, "Are you alright?"

Tieria shook his head as he gasped for breath. "Nightmare," he muttered. His rapid breathing was causing more stabbing pain to shoot through his side.

"What happened?" Feldt asked.

"I destroyed the Ptolemaios," He said softly, "With a team of GN-X units…why do I keep seeing this kind of thing, Feldt?"

Feldt sighed, "You're worrying too much," She said, "I received a text from Sumeragi, they were able to make it back to Krung Thep safely."

Tieria sighed in relief, "That's good," he said, "They got there early then."

"She mentioned that you were worried," Feldt said, "So they got there as fast as they could."

"That's good," Tieria said as he put his hand to his still throbbing side.

Feldt sighed, "It's really painful isn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said.

"Hold on," She said, "I'll get some ice."

"You don't have to," Tieria said as he tried to stand. The pain was so bad he fell back on the couch.

"Your body isn't used to the gravity yet," She said as she got an ice pack, "You're going to have more trouble with your ribs until they heal or you get used to the change."

Tieria nodded, "I think I'm just going to lie down for the rest of the day," He said as he attempted to stand with a bit more success, "Do you mind putting off our shopping trip until tomorrow?"

"Of course not," Feldt said, "You're not feeling very well. I don't mind waiting. I wasn't really planning on going out today anyways."

Tieria nodded then slowly walked towards his room. He was still feeling slightly sick but it was something that he could sleep off, as long as he didn't have another nightmare.

* * *

So apparently Tieria was just really tired after all. And he also seems to be a really good actor, but I guess he has to. Yes I know there was another twisted nightmare in there, but like I've probably said before, twisted nightmares are my specialty. So let me know what you thought. Semester is just about over so that means I'll be able to update more, yay! Well, until next time minna-san!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	10. Shopping and Reminiscing

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm still alive so don't worry. I've been c-r-a-z-y busy but it's spring break and I have nothing to do. I don't have much to say about this chapter so I'm gonna let you get started. I have the next three or so chapters written already so they won't take as long. So enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or it's characters but the plot and Devon are mine.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Ten: Shopping and Reminiscing

Tieria woke up the next day feeling better. It seemed as though he had finally gotten used to his weight on Earth and his side wasn't nearly as painful as it had been the night before. He slowly and carefully got dressed then went out into the kitchen where he found Feldt making breakfast.

"Good morning Feldt," He greeted.

"Good morning," She said, "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Better," Tieria said, "My side has stopped throbbing for now."

"That's good," Feldt said, "I was worried about you yesterday. Do you want something for breakfast? I was thinking that we could have a quick breakfast then head to the shopping center. The weather is supposed to get really bad later on so the earlier we go the better."

Tieria nodded and sat down at the table. "That sounds like a good idea," Tieria said wincing a bit as a sharp pain shot through his side. "I still want to take it easy."

"That's understandable," Feldt said as she put a plate of eggs in front of Tieria, "You must be hungry, you didn't eat anything for supper last night."

"I wasn't feeling very well," Tieria said, "I was feeling a bit nauseous and still a bit jet lagged."

"That's fine," She said, "And it didn't help that you didn't sleep all that well the night before as well. Saji-san gave us directions to the nearest shopping mall. It's only a ten minute walk from here, are you up to it?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "My side isn't bothering me that much. I don't think it will be a problem to walk there."

"That's good," Feldt said, "We'll leave right after breakfast then."

* * *

The shopping trip was bound to be awkward from the start. Feldt hated shopping for clothes, she had plenty of it and didn't need any more. And Tieria didn't care what he wore as long as it was comfortable plus, he had never once been shopping.

"So where do you want to try first?" Feldt asked, "I think the best bet would be department store. You can get a larger selection of clothes there."

Tieria nodded, "You know this sort of thing better than I do," He said, "I don't know the first thing about clothes shopping."

"Well," Feldt said, "I don't know much about it either. I mean you can get the style of clothing you want. If you want to wear a blouse with a pair of khakis that's fine, but Sumeragi wants you to wear more masculine colors."

Tieria sighed, "She already told me," he said, "But I don't understand the whole thing about what color I wear."

"Men your age don't normally wear pink though," Feldt said knowing exactly what Tieria was going to respond with, "It's not really acceptable in society."

"I don't have an age though," Tieria said, "For some reason I don't age."

Feldt sighed, "Well you look as though you're an older teenager, maybe sixteen or seventeen," She said, "And teenaged boys who are around that age don't wear pink sweaters. Where did you get that thing anyway?"

"I was always cold when I started working at Krung Thep," Tieria said, "And aside from the uniform I didn't own any clothes. So one of the women who worked there, her name escapes me, took pity on me and gave me a few outfits. I always wore that because it was a gift, and it would have been rude of me not wear it."

"You're so kind," Feldt said, "But that bit you said about not aging, I don't think it's true. Sure in the time I've known you, you haven't changed very much but you've matured a lot. Aging doesn't have to be physical, granted most people think it's that way, but I don't think so. You may not age much physically but you've aged mentally." Feldt suddenly felt embarrassed, "I'm sorry if what I'm saying doesn't make much sense, it's just what I think…you don't really have to believe what I'm saying it's just…I don't know…"

"It's alright," Tieria said, "What you said does make sense. You're a very smart girl Feldt."

Feldt looked down and blushed, "You think so?" She asked softly.

"Of course I do," Tieria said, "You started working for us when you were fourteen years old. How many fourteen year old girls are smart enough to do what you did for us two years ago?"

"Thank you," Feldt said softly still blushing. She didn't have any feelings for the Meister. She looked up to him as an older brother but sometimes he did say things that made her blush and feel all giddy. "You really have changed," She said, "You were always so cold and distant but now you're really friendly and kind. It was odd at first but I think I've grown to like your new attitude."

Tieria sighed, "I know," He said softly, "Two years ago I didn't want to get too close to everyone because of…that incident. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt at my hands. Shortly after that I learned how hard goodbyes were and I didn't want to feel like that again…and yet…when I lost Veda I slipped and allowed myself to get closer to everyone else."

Feldt sighed. She knew of the incident that Tieria was talking about. It had taken place about five years before the third generation Meisters started their interventions. Tieria and another third generation Meister by the name of Grave Violento had been engaged in a mock battle when a third Meister by the name of Hixar Fermi took a heavy blow and was nearly killed. Then there was the incident that took place between Grave and Hixar where Grave had been shot several times. "You looked up to Grave-san didn't you, Tieria?" She asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I wanted model myself after him but I think I might have gone a bit too far."

"That's understandable," Feldt said, "It's so sad, what happened to him."

"I swear if I ever meet the bastard that forced Hixar to shoot Grave, I'll kill them," Tieria said, "I was devastated when I heard that Grave had died."

"And yet, you went to train with Virtue right after everyone heard," Feldt said, "Hanayo told me so."

"I needed to keep myself distracted," Tieria said, "And…I didn't want anyone to see me cry…So I vowed to distance myself from everyone else so I wouldn't have to deal with the loss of a comrade like that again…and yet it happened again."

"Yeah," Feldt said softly, "Lockon wasn't really someone you could easily distance yourself from. I was really upset when Lockon died but I felt really bad for you. You had just warmed up to everyone than that happened. Sumeragi told me about how sick you had gotten that day and yet you still went out to fight."

"I didn't want anyone else to get killed," Tieria said, "Neil once told me 'if something is to happen to me, I want you to take over the role of oniichan. Setsuna can change the world for me, but I want you to become the oniichan.'" Tieria sighed as he tried to compose himself, "So when we rebuild, I want to play that role…I don't want to go back to the way I was two years ago."

"I'm glad," Feldt said, "Now we really should find you some clothes before the storm hits. I don't want to walk home in the rain."

"Okay," Tieria said, "You lead the way. You know this sort of thing better than I do."

* * *

It took Tieria and Feldt about an hour and a half to find about seven outfits. Somehow Feldt had persuaded Tieria to buy two pairs of jeans and a pair of lounge pants.

"That wasn't so bad," Tieria said as they sat down for lunch, "I was expecting it to be worse."

"You've never been with Chris," She said, "She used to drag me to about fifty stores and make me try on then buy about fifteen outfits per store. But I have to admit, I miss it."

"Yeah," Tieria said, "But it seemed as though you had fun today."

"I did," Feldt said.

"I did too," Tieria said, "I just wish they had more choices that weren't loaded with monosodium glutamate or high-fructose corn syrup. There is nothing healthy here."

"Welcome to Earth Tieria," Feldt said, "It may not be very healthy but it tastes better than the stuff we've been eating for who knows how long."

"That's true," Tieria said as he unwrapped the sandwich he had ordered, "That was getting almost sickening."

"It was better when Allelujah would cook for all of us," Feldt said, "The food he made always tasted so good."

"Yeah I know," Tieria said softly, "I never admitted it but I always took about two times more than I could eat whenever he cooked just so that I could have some the next day or so."

"I think we all did that," Feldt said, "Which was why we never had any leftovers. Well we did, but we kept it from everyone."

"The cakes he made were amazing," Tieria said.

"But you never ate the cake," Feldt said, "You would always complain about how we needed to eat healthy and about how we couldn't be eating sweets. You would never eat any of it, unless...you took some when we weren't looking."

"I would sneak a piece when no one was around," Tieria said, "Then I would use Veda to erase the evidence."

"You little sneak!" Feldt exclaimed, "I guess cake is a weakness even for the health-conscious Tieria Erde. Wait until I tell Sumeragi and Ian-san!"

"Don't do that," Tieria said, "If you do I'll tell Sumeragi that you enjoyed going shopping."

"You enjoyed it too," Feldt shot back. She was having fun, she really was. She was seeing a softer, more open and friendly side of Tieria and she liked it. //I really hope he stays like this, I can get used to him being this way//

"Yeah I know," Tieria said. He liked this. He had never opened up to anyone like this before, except maybe Neil. But even Neil had never seen him like this. //Perhaps I should act like this more often. It's made Feldt happy//

"Are you done?" Feldt asked, "It's getting really cloudy out we should get back to the apartment before it starts raining."

"I agree," Tieria said as he gathered his things and stood up perhaps a bit to fast. A sharp pain shot through his side and was so bad that he had to sit back down.

"Are you alright?" Feldt asked as she grabbed the tray from Tieria.

"Yeah," Tieria said through clenched teeth, "Just give me a minute. I stood up too quickly."

"Excuse me," A young woman said. She had noticed the look of pain on Tieria's face and decided to help, "You look like you're in pain. I'm a nurse at a near-by medical center," She displayed her badge, "What's wrong? Do you have broken ribs or something?"

"Yeah," Tieria said as he held his left side, "I broke two ribs in an accident."

"Would you like something for the pain?" She asked as she took a sample size packet of pain reliever out of the pocket of her scrubs.

"No thank you," Tieria said as Feldt returned, "I'm allergic to most pain and fever reducers."

"You poor thing," The woman said, "Would you like me to tape your ribs up?"

"No thank you," Tieria said as he stood with a bit more success, "My sister and I are in a rush to get home before the rain comes, but I thank you for offering."

"You're quite welcome," the woman said, "And if you change your mind my name is Sasaki Hotaru and I work at the medical center right next door."

"We'll keep that in mind," Tieria said as he bowed to the woman, "Thank you very much for your concern Sasaki-san."

"You're very welcome," She said with a bow, "Have a nice day."

"You as well," Tieria said as he followed Feldt, "I might lie down for a while when we get back."

"Your side is really painful isn't it?" Feldt asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said, "But it's something I can handle. It's not like the last time I broke ribs…that was absolutely unbearable."

"Well you broke every rib on your right side and punctured your lung in quite a few places," Feldt said, "They had to put you through about five hours of surgery before they put you in the medical capsule to remove several large bone fragments from your lung. We didn't think you were going to pull through…yet miraculously…three months later you woke up."

"I had a promise I had to uphold," Tieria said, "I couldn't let myself die knowing that there were people I needed to protect."

"Thank you Tieria…" Feldt said softly.

* * *

Tieria and Feldt had gotten about halfway to the apartment when it started pouring.

"Come on," Feldt called as she started running a bit, "We have to hurry. It's not that cold but it's not good to be out in rain this heavy!"

"Alright," Tieria called back. He started to run after the girl but after a few steps something happened and he found himself lying on the ground in almost severe pain.

"Tieria!" Feldt cried, "Are you alright!? I'm sorry I told you to hurry and you ended up fainting."

"I fainted?" Tieria asked as he sat up despite the pain.

"Yeah," Feldt said, "I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it," Tieria said, "I'm alright. Come on we should get back."

"Are you sure?" Feldt asked as she helped Tieria stand.

"Yeah," Tieria said as he started walking in the direction of the apartment, "I can hold out until we get back."

"Okay," Feldt said, "Let me know if you need to take a break." She sighed, //His tolerance for pain is incredible// she thought. "Tieria stay near me just incase you faint again."

"I'm not going to faint again," Tieria said. He was still feeling faint but he needed to get Feldt out of the rain, "Come on."

* * *

When they finally got back to the apartment Tieria headed to his room. He needed to lie down, he was dizzy and his side was throbbing again. "Feldt," he said as she placed the now saturated bags on the floor, "Go take a warm shower. We've just been out in the rain and I don't need you to get sick."

"What about you Tieria?" Feldt asked.

"I'll take one later," Tieria said, "I just want to lie down until my side stops throbbing."

"Okay," Feldt said, "You should change your clothes first Tieria."

"I will," Tieria said tiredly, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Okay," Feldt said as she left the room.

Tieria sighed and shut his eyes.

* * *

"_Tieria…Tieria…Tieria wake up!"_

Tieria opened his eyes and came face to face with Feldt, "Feldt…" he muttered.

"You fell asleep in your wet clothes," She said sternly, "I want you to take a shower then get straight to bed. I can't believe you."

Tieria sighed as he sat up slowly. His side had stopped throbbing but it was still painful. "Alright, alright," He said as he got what he needed to take a shower, "Who are you, Sumeragi Li Noriega?"

"No," Feldt said, "But I'm next in line so you had better listen."

Tieria nodded and headed off to the washroom. He had to admit that the hot water felt good. He was rather cold from falling asleep in wet clothing and the hot water was also helping to alleviate some of the pain in his side. When he was finished he changed in to his pajamas and walked back to his room where Feldt had just finished changing the sheets. "Are you happy now?" he asked.

"Yes," Feldt said, "Now get into bed and call me if you need anything. I'll bring you supper in a little bit."

"You're not going to let me out of bed to eat?" He asked as he got into bed.

"Not a chance," Feldt said, "You're on bed rest for the rest of the night so relax."

"Call Sumeragi and make sure she's still alive," Tieria said, "You seem to be channeling her spirit."

"Very funny Tieria," Feldt said, "But she sent me a text message not too long ago so she's still alive."

"If you say so," Tieria said.

"Oh and if you catch a cold I'm going to kill you for falling asleep in wet clothing!" Feldt called.

Tieria sighed. He wasn't really upset about being confined to his bed for the night. The dizziness had progressed into a pounding headache, so he figured he would listen to Feldt, just for one night.

* * *

So Tieria has a weakness for cake, who would have guessed? And they talked a lot in that chapter didn't they? They both learned some about the other and it was a good bonding experience seeing as though they'll be spending the next month or so together. And it seems as though Feldt is channeling Christina's spirit a bit while Tieria was channeling Neil a little bit. So is Tieria going to catch a cold for being an idiot and falling asleep for three hours in wet clothes? Find out next time, minna-san!

Oh and Hixar Fermi, Grave Violento, and Hanayo are all from Gundam 00P. All of the events mentioned took place in the second season of that which took place in 2303 five years before Gundam 00.

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	11. Shopping in a Daze

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back quickly this time. It's like I said last time I have the next three or so chapters written I just need to type them. There's not much for me to say for this chapter aside from skip the ---- (fill in the blank) disclaimer and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or it's characters but the plot and Devon are mine.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Shopping in a Daze

A few days after being caught out in the downpour Tieria woke up feeling awful. His head was aching, his throat was raw and sore and despite just having just woken up, he was utterly exhausted. He sat up and a wave of lightheadedness washed over him and his head swam so badly he nearly had to lie back down.

He put his hand to his forehead and sighed. Based on the amount of sweat that had accumulated on his forehead he was probably running a mid-grade fever and should stay in bed for the day but he had plans for the day. He was supposed to go shopping for jackets with Feldt and Saji.

He sighed and wondered how long he could both tolerate and hide the fever from the pink haired girl.

* * *

Feldt was beginning to worry about Tieria. He almost never woke up later than eight in the morning and yet it was ten and he hadn't woken up yet.

//Saji-san is going to be here any minute// Feldt thought, //Why hasn't Tieria woken up yet?// There was a knock at the door, //There's Saji-san//

She went to open the door, "Good morning Saji-san," she greeted.

"Good morning Feldt," Saji said as he walked into the apartment, "Are you ready to go?"

"No actually," Feldt said, "Tieria hasn't woken up yet."

"Really?" Saji said, "That's odd. He always seems to be up early."

"Hold on," Feldt said, "I'm going to check and see if he's alright."

"Alright," Saji said, "I'll wait here."

* * *

Tieria sat on his bed with his head in his hands. He had not yet been able to get dressed. He was exhausted and he didn't seem to have a lot of energy. He was about to make another attempt to get dressed when there was a knock at the door.

"Yes?" he called.

"Tieria," Feldt called, "May I come in?"

"Yeah,"

"Tieria," Feldt said as she entered the room, "Are you alright? It's nearly ten fifteen and it looks as though you've just woke up."

"I'm alright," Tieria said softly. Something was preventing him from talking very loudly, "I didn't sleep very well last night." He wasn't exactly lying. He had been rather restless the night before no matter what he did, he couldn't get comfortable.

"Do you want to hold off on the trip?" Feldt said, "We can always hold off until you're feeling a bit better."

"No," Tieria said, "I'm alright."

Feldt nodded, "I'll let you get dressed," She said as she left the room. //He's hiding something// she thought, //He doesn't look well//

"Is something wrong Feldt?" Saji asked.

"No," Feldt said, "It's nothing."

"Is Tieria-san alright?" Saji asked.

"Yeah," Feldt said, "He's just a bit tired."

"Does he want to hold off?"

"No," Feldt said, "He wants to go but I think that he should really stay here and rest."

"I'm alright Feldt," Tieria said almost tiredly as he walked into the room.

"Good morning Tieria-san," Saji greeted.

"Good morning," Tieria said softly.

Saji looked at Tieria and immediately realized that the other boy did not look well at all. Saji knew that Tieria had fairly pale skin but the boy just looked ashen and Tieria wasn't holding himself as straight as he normally did, "Are you feeling alright?" He asked.

"Yeah," Tieria lied. He was really feeling sick. He had not checked for a temperature but he knew that he was running a fever, "I'm just tired. Are we ready to go?"

"Aren't you going to eat anything before we go?" Feldt asked.

"We don't have a lot of time," Tieria said. He wasn't at all hungry but he didn't want Feldt to know because then she would figure out that he was sick, "The snow storm is going to hit its peak in a few hours. If we want to go we have to go now!" He snapped.

Feldt sighed Tieria's last comment had sent up not one but two red flags. First of all, Tieria _never _skipped a meal. Secondly, recently he only seemed to snap at people when he was overtired or not feeling well. And Tieria had gone to bed unusually early the night before.

"Tieria," Feldt said, "I really think that we should hold off, you don't look like you're feeling well."

"I told you I'm fine!" Tieria snapped, "You and I both need jacket before the storm hits! I don't want t repeat of the other day!"

Feldt sighed. //So much for that tactic// she thought. While Tieria's attitude had changed dramatically, his stubborn nature still held strong. And she knew that there was no persuading him to stay home and rest today.

"So where do you want to go?" Saji asked.

"Could you take us to the best place to buy jackets and boots?" Tieria asked after calming down a bit for the sake of his aching head.

"Okay," Saji said as he handed a jacket to Tieria and another to Feldt, "They may not fit very well but it's better than nothing."

Tieria nodded and took the jacket. He put it on hoping that it would help to warm him up. He had put two sweaters on that morning but no matter what he did, he couldn't seem to warm up. "Are we ready to go?" he asked as he headed to the door.

* * *

Feldt kept a close eye on Tieria as they walked to the shopping center. Saji had suggested that they take the bus but since the next one wasn't due for another ten minutes Tieria wouldn't agree to it. She was worried about him. She had seen Tieria fatigued many times and she knew well enough that Tieria's current behavior was not typical o f fatigue with him. Whatever was ailing Tieria was more than just fatigue.

"You're being rather quiet Feldt," Tieria said, "Is everything alright?"

//No, it's not// Feldt thought not daring enough to say it out loud, //You're sick again aren't you?//

"I'm fine," She said, "I'm just thinking a bit."

"Okay," Tieria said.

"So you two are on a leave of absence from the Union Military right?" Saji asked.

"Yeah," Feldt answered. She was glad that Saji had started the conversation, she needed something to keep Tieria from growing suspicious.

"And it's because of complications due to injuries right?" Saji asked.

"Yes," Feldt said, "We were both injured during Operation Fallen Angels…and Tieria…he was nearly killed. He's really lucky to be alive right now, he was in a coma for three months after the battle."

"Those damn Gundam!" Saji exclaimed softly, "Because of Celestial Being my girlfriend was injured and my older sister was killed. If you ask me that organization as well as the pilots got what they deserved! The militaries did well during Fallen Angels."

Tieria stopped short as his breath caught up in his chest. He had been zoning out through most of the conversation and the only part he caught was the name of the disastrous battle that had claimed several of his comrades and nearly claimed his own life. Fallen Angles was not something he needed to be reminded of. He grabbed his head as he tried to suppress the dizzying memories that were trying to surface.

"Tieria," Saji said as he steadied the purple haired boy a bit, "Are you alright? Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

"No," Tieria said softly as he released his aching head, "It's alright," he said as he coughed a bit, "It's still difficult to remember the battle where I lost so many comrades."

"That's understandable," Saji said as Tieria shivered a bit, "Are you cold?"

"A little bit," Tieria said as he coughed more. He just couldn't suppress the urge to cough anymore. And as much as cough hurt his still healing ribs, suppressing the coughing hurt more.

"That's one of the warmest jackets I own," Saji said as Tieria continued to cough, "You're coughing an awful lot Tieria, are you coming down with something?" He asked as he reached over to put his hand on Tieria's forehead.

Tieria pulled away from Saji's hand, "My lungs were weakened due to the injuries I sustained and the cold weather is just aggravating them. Plus, I got over viral pneumonia about a week ago. The coughing is just from that."

"Alright," Saji said as he stopped in front of a store, "This is the best place to buy jackets. I figured we could start here and it will get you out of the cold for a bit Tieria."

Tieria nodded as he followed Saji into the store.

Feldt sighed again. Now she knew that Tieria was sick. First of all the coughing from the pneumonia had gone away a week ago. Secondly, while Tieria _had_ experienced asthma-like symptoms due to the injuries he had sustain, it had been nearly a year since he had experienced an asthma-like attack. Now that she knew Tieria was sick, she just needed to wait for him to let his guard down so she could catch him.

"Are you coming Feldt?" Tieria asked as the girl stood outside and the two boys were inside the shop.

"Yeah," She said, "Sorry I wasn't paying much attention."

"Are you feeling alright?" Tieria asked as the girl entered the store.

//You have no right to ask me that// Feldt thought keeping it to herself again, //You're not well at all, I can see it on your face//

"I told you," Feldt said, "I've been thinking a lot. I'm going to head over to the women's department to see if I can find something I like."

"Okay," Tieria said as he headed off to the men's department. He knew what he wanted. He wanted something dark in color and rather long, not trench coat long but something that went down to his mid-thigh.

He wandered around for a few more minutes before he found what he was looking for.

"Did you find something you liked?" Saji asked startling Tieria a bit.

"Yeah," Tieria said, "But I'm not familiar with the sizing chart so I don't know what size I need."

"Alright," Saji said, "How tall are you?"

"One hundred seventy-seven centimeters," Tieria answered.

"Alright," Saji said, "And you're what about sixty kilograms?" Tieria nodded as Saji handed him a jacket, "That one should fit you."

Tieria nodded and removed Saji's old jacket and put the navy blue one on.

"That's looks good on you," Feldt said as she walked over with a light pink and white jacket, "It fits you well."

"Are you going to get it?" Saji asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said as he took it off and put Saji's jacket back on.

"You should get a scarf too," Saji said as he picked up a red one, "This one would look nice."

For the second time that day Tieria's breath caught up in his chest. The scarf looked exactly like the one that Setsuna wore when he wasn't wearing his blue flight suit.

"Do you want it?" Saji asked. Tieria nodded and took the scarf, "Are you sure you're alright? You do look sick Tieria-san."

"I'm just tired," Tieria said, "I kept waking up last night." He then walked up to the counter followed by Saji and Feldt.

"Did you find everything you were looking for miss?" The young girl at the counter asked.

"Yes I did," Tieria said as Feldt and Saji tried to stifle their laughter.

"Omygod!" the girl exclaimed as she turned beet red, "I am _soo _sorry sir! I shouldn't have assumed that you were a woman…ugh this sorta thing happens to me all the time…omygod why!? I really, _really _didn't mean to offend you sir but you know what they say when you assume right?"

Tieria sighed a bit, "It's alright," He said. The clerk was reminding him of a slightly older Mileina, "This happens to me a lot."

"It still doesn't excuse the terrible mistake I made," the clerk said, "L-let's start again," She said, "D-did you find everything you were looking for sir?"

"Yes I did," Tieria said as he handed the girl a bank card, "Thank you."

"C-credit or debit?" the girl stammered.

"Debit," Tieria said.

"Swipe the card through there please," The girl said as she rang up the scarf and jacket. Tieria did what he was told, "Here's your receipt, E-Erde-san. Have a nice day."

"Thank you," Tieria said, "You too miss."

He then turned to Feldt and Saji, "I'm going to wait outside," He said softly, "It's getting to be too warm in here."

Feldt and Saji nodded as Feldt placed her jacket on the table. She then watched as Tieria put the jacket on. He hadn't even bothered to take the other one off and it worried Feldt more.

//He has to be feverish// She thought as she paid for her jacket, //He just has to be. He complains he's too warm and yet he's wearing two jackets// She took the receipt then looked towards the window where Tieria was standing. She sighed again. Tieria was leaning against the building with his hand to his forehead. "Saji-san," She said, "Do you think we could do lunch now?"

"Sure," Saji said, "Although it's a little early."

"I'm just worried that Tieria didn't eat anything before we left," She said, "He must be hungry."

"Okay," Saji said, "But that's not the reason you want to do lunch now is it?" Feldt shook her head, "I didn't think so. You're doing it because Tieria-san is really starting to look and act sick."

"Yeah," Feldt said, "He's at that point where if he sits down he's going to fall asleep. So if we have him watch the table while we go off for a little bit, he'll probably fall right to sleep. And once I find out, we can convince him to go home and get some rest."

"That sounds like a plan," Saji said, "Does this sort of thing happen often?"

"Not really," Feldt said, "Tieria hardly ever gets sick, but when he does get sick, he gets really sick."

"You're such a caring little sister," Saji said as the pair walked out of the store.

"Tieria," Feldt called, "We're going to get something to eat before we head to another store. Is that alright?"

Tieria nodded silently. He didn't really care anymore, he wanted to sit down. The lightheadedness was slowly getting worse as was the exhaustion.

"Okay," Saji said, "Come on, there's a food court on this street."

* * *

Tieria was quite glad that Feldt and Saji had decided to do lunch first, it meant that he got too sit down for a bit. He was really starting to regret not staying in bed that day and he was contemplating whether or not to tell Feldt that he felt sick.

"Tieria do you mind watching our stuff while we head to the bathroom?"

Tieria shook his head despite the almost migraine pitch pounding in this head. But he didn't feel much like talking, the back of his throat was burning. With Saji and Feldt out of sight he put his head down on the table and closed his eyes just for a little while.

A few minutes later Saji walked back to the table and discovered that Feldt had been right. "Tieria-san…are you alright?" He asked. When he didn't get a response he placed his hand on Tieria's forehead. //He's really warm…//

"Saji…" Tieria muttered as he looked up a bit.

"Tieria-san, you have a fever," Saji said, "You're really warm."

"Your hands are cold," Tieria muttered as he put his head back down.

Saji sighed, "Why didn't you tell us you were feeling sick?" He asked, "We wouldn't have dragged you all over the placed today."

"It's alright," Tieria muttered. He was glad that Saji had discovered that he was sick, it meant that he wouldn't have to tell Feldt, "Feldt needed a jacket."

"We could have waited though," Saji said as he saw Feldt, "Feldt-chan!"

"What is it Saji-san?" Feldt said as she walked towards the table.

"Why should get him home," Saji said, "He's running a rather high fever."

Feldt sighed, "I knew it," She said, "Tieria, why didn't you tell us? We would have stayed home."

"But we needed jackets," Tieria muttered, "And I was feeling alright until a little while ago."

"No, you've been feeling sick since you woke up," She said as she placed the inside of her wrist to Tieria's forehead, "You really can't hide a fever like that."

"Feldt," Tieria said tiredly, "I really was feeling alright until a little while ago."

Feldt sighed, "Come on," She said trying very hard to not flip out at Tieria, "Let's head back to the apartment. You need to be in bed."

"But we haven't gone to the shoe store yet," Tieria said, "I can hold out."

"Oniisan!" Feldt cried. She had reached the end of her patients with Tieria, "You're so damn stubborn! You're running a fever! You need to be in bed never mind walking around in a snowstorm. We're going home before you pass out or get sicker! I've been worrying about you all damn morning!" Feldt yelled, "I don't care what you say, we're going home!"

"Come on," Saji said softly, "The next bus should be arriving shortly."

Tieria sighed as he allowed Feldt and Saji to help him stand. He just didn't have the energy to deal with an emotional Feldt at the moment, he just wanted to sleep.

* * *

Feldt bit her lip as Tieria rested his head against her shoulder on the bus ride back to the apartment. She was worried about him. If he hadn't just gotten over pneumonia and a punctured lung due to a broken rib she wouldn't have been as nervous. But with his lung still healing, there were a lot of complications that could have developed. //I'll call Sumeragi later// She thought as Tieria started coughing, //With the storm it's going to be hard to get him to a doctor…I really hope it isn't something serious//

"Feldt-chan," Saji said, "Our stop is next."

Feldt nodded, "Tieria," She called softly, "Wake up, it's our stop."

Tieria lifted his head and slowly stood up slowly. The lightheadedness had progressed into dizziness and he just wanted to lie down.

"Do you need help with anything?" Saji asked as he helped steady Tieria as they got off the bus.

"Can we borrow a thermometer?" She asked as they walked to their apartments.

"Sure," Saji said as he went to open the door to his apartment, "I hope you feel better Tieria-san."

"Thank you," Tieria murmured as Feldt guided him into their apartment.

"I'll get some tea ready for you," Feldt said, "Don't worry about anything, just get to bed."

Tieria nodded and headed to his room. He sat down on his bed and removed the two jackets then changed into his pajamas. He sighed as he got into bed. He was utterly exhausted and it felt good to just lie down and close his eyes.

* * *

So Tieria managed to catch a cold after all. Although he's kinda lucky he was sick because Feldt probably would have killed him if he wasn't running a fever. But he should have stayed in bed…I know first hand what happens when you're sick and you try to do too much, it usually ends in you getting sicker. Will that happen here? Probably, I like torturing T-chan, he's so cute and at times, kinda clueless. Well let me know what you thought! Until next time minna-san!!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	12. Stop Worrying About Me

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back quickly this time (hopefully with fewer typos, it's about four in the afternoon, I _never_ update this early). It's like I said last time I have the next three or so chapters written I just need to type them. There's not much for me to say for this chapter aside from skip the ---- (fill in the blank) disclaimer and enjoy! (Wow, I'm lazy, I barely changed the author's note) Eh oh well…

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or it's characters but the plot and Devon are mine.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Stop Worrying About Me

Feldt sighed as she poured the hot tea into a mug for Tieria. Tieria seldom got sick like this. Aside from the time he had pneumonia, she had really only seen him sick one maybe two other times. She placed the mug as well as a bowl of ice water on a tray and was about to head to Tieria's room when there was a knock at the door. She put the tray down and answered the door.

"Thank you Saji-san," She said as she took the thermometer from the older boy.

"It's not a problem," Saji said, "Do you need me to get you anything else? I know you said that you needed to head to the grocery store to pick a few things up."

"You don't have to do that," Feldt said, "Tieria's just going to sleep for a while so I can leave him alone to get what I need."

"Don't do that," Saji said as he walked into the apartment, "Make up a list and I'll pick up what you need."

"Are you sure?" Feldt said as she jotted down what she needed, "The snow is starting to get really bad."

"I'm on my way to store anyway," Saji said as he took the list, "Stay here and take care of Tieria-san."

"Thank you Saji-san," Feldt said as Saji left. She then placed the thermometer on the tray. She picked up the tray and walked to Tieria's room, "Tieria, may I come in?" She asked as she knocked on the door. When she didn't get response she let herself in.

* * *

Tieria had been just about asleep when he felt something pleasantly cold and wet on his forehead. He opened his eyes and found Feldt standing in front of his bed.

"Feldt…" He murmured.

"I'm sorry," She said, "Did I wake you?" Tieria shook his head but she knew that he was lying, "Here," She said as she handed the thermometer to Tieria, "I need you to check your fever." Tieria sat up a bit as he took the thermometer and placed it in his mouth. After a few seconds it beeped and Tieria handed it to Feldt, "Thirty-eight point four," Feldt read as she frowned.

"What's wrong?" Tieria asked. Even without his glasses on he could tell that Feldt was upset about something.

"It's nothing," Feldt said as she handed Tieria a mug, "I heard that honey can be used like cough medicine so I put quite a bit in it. Do you need anything else?" Tieria shook his head as he took a sip of the tea, "Alright, I'll be in the other room if you need anything."

Tieria nodded as he took another sip of the tea. He wasn't much of a tea person however he would make an exception for the teas that the young teenager made. Once he finished the tea he placed the empty mug on the bedside table and tried to get back to sleep.

* * *

Feldt sighed as she brought her communicator out and called Sumeragi.

"_Feldt,"_ Sumeragi said, _"It's good to hear from you! Hey we're making plans to head down there for Tieria's "birthday" and I want it to be a surprise, so don't tell him! So how are things going?"_

"They're not going so well right now." Feldt said.

"_What do you mean?" _Sumeragi said, _"What's wrong?"_

"Tieria's sick," Feldt said,

"_What!?" _Sumeragi gasped, _"What is it this time?"_

"I don't know," Feldt said, "He's got a fever and he's been coughing quite a bit. It might just be a cold but…it could be something worse."

There was a heavy sigh from the other end of the line, _"Could you bring him to a doctor?" _Sumeragi asked, _"Or get a doctor to make a house call?"_

"I don't know," Feldt said, "There's a snowstorm that's going to hit in a little while."

"_Hmm, how high is his fever?" _Sumeragi asked.

"It's thirty-eight point four," Feldt said.

"_It is rather high but I don't think it's anything to worry about. He'll probably be fine in a few days as long as he stays in bed that is." _Sumeragi said, _"And heh, knowing Tieria he probably tried to hide it from you."_

"He did," Feldt said, "I found out he was sick about two hours into a shopping trip. I tried to tell him to rest but he insisted that we get jackets."

"_Idiot," _Sumeragi said as she sighed, _"Is he ever going to learn? What is he doing right now?"_

"He's sleeping," Feldt said.

"_Ah, so much for yellin' at him," _Sumeragi said, _"I guess it will just have to wait until we get there. Well I'm sure you have things to do so I'm gonna let you go. Take care of Tieria and try to get him to stay in bed this time. I'll see you in a couple of days."_

"Talk to you later Sumeragi," Feldt said as the call ended.

Feldt sighed as she walked back to Tieria's room. Tieria had already fallen back to sleep but that didn't surprise her, Tieria wasn't used to being sick. She carefully picked up the cloth, dipped in the ice water again then replaced it on Tieria's forehead. She sighed as she placed her hand on his warm cheek. Tieria looked uncomfortable. His cheeks were flushed and rather clammy, his breathing was slightly heavy and labored and his face held a look of discomfort.

//Why did this have to happen?// She though as there was a knock on the door, //He was doing so well too…// She then left the room and answered the door. "Thank you much for doing that Saji-san," Feldt said.

"You're welcome," Saji replied, "How's Tieria-san doing?"

"He's asleep right now," Feldt said, "He's got a rather high fever."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Saji said, "Tell him that I hope he feels better soon. And if you need anything just ask me."

"I might need you to stay with Tieria tomorrow morning," Feldt said, "His birthday is coming up and I need to go shopping for him. But it depends on how he feels if he has a rough night I'm not going to want to leave him alone but if he sleeps well, I may be able to leave him alone for a bit."

"Alright," Saji said, "Just let me know."

"Thanks again," Feldt said as Saji left.

* * *

Tieria woke up some time later feeling considerably sicker. He moaned as he started coughing. He was going to try to fall back to sleep but he felt something ice cold across his forehead and he opened his eyes.

"Feldt…" He whispered as he coughed more.

"I'm sorry," Feldt said softly, "I didn't mean to wake you. You were coughing a lot in your sleep and I was a bit worried." She handed him the thermometer, "Your temperature has definitely gone up in the past few hours."

Tieria took the thermometer and put it in his mouth. He shut his eyes, he felt awful but it wasn't nearly as bad as he had felt when he had come down with pneumonia. It felt as though someone was taking a hammer to his forehead, he was cold regardless of how many blankets he had covered up with, his throat was raw and sore and his chest was tight. The thermometer beeped and he opened his eyes as Feldt took it.

"Yeah, your temperature has gone up quite a bit," She said.

"What is it?" Tieria asked. He would check for himself but he hadn't bothered to put his glasses on and he couldn't exactly see well with them off.

"Thirty-eight point nine," Feldt said, "Do you need anything?"

"Could I have some tea?" Tieria asked quietly.

"Sure," Feldt said, "I just made some, I'll be right back."

Tieria nodded and shut his eyes. He was trying not to fall back to sleep but he just couldn't keep his eyes open. A few minutes later he felt a hand on his shoulder and he opened his eyes.

"Here," Feldt said as she handed a warm mug to Tieria, "I didn't want to make it too hot so tell me if it's not hot enough for you."

"Thank you," Tieria said as he took a sip. The pleasantly warm liquid was helping to warm him. It was comforting his throat and alleviating the pressure in his chest and head.

"Are you hungry at all?" Feldt asked, "You haven't eaten all day."

"What time is it?" Tieria asked. He knew that he had been in and out of sleep for a few hours but he couldn't tell what time it was.

"It's about six thirty," Feldt said. She found it difficult to see Tieria in such a condition. Tieria almost always appeared so strong and hardly ever looked weak and run-down so it was difficult to see him so weak, "You really should try to eat something. How about I make you some soup or something?"

Tieria nodded. He was a bit hungry but he could probably do without eating. Although he knew he should eat a least a little something seeing that his stomach didn't hurt and he wasn't nauseous. He went to get out of bed when Feldt stopped him.

"Stay in bed," She said, "I'll bring you your meal."

Tieria nodded and sighed. He could tell just how worried Feldt was. //Why did I have to fall ill?// he thought. He took another few sips of tea. He was exhausted but he didn't really feel like sleeping, //She's going to get sick I she worries too much…and I don't want that to happen//

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Feldt said as she reentered the room with a tray.

"Thank you," Tieria said as Feldt placed the tray on his lap, "Don't worry about me so much."

"Eh…what do you mean?" Feldt asked.

"You're worrying about me," Tieria said, "Don't worry so much, you'll make yourself sick. Please don't worry about me. I'll be alright."

Feldt gasped. She didn't think that Tieria noticed how other people felt and for someone who could be considered emotionally confused at times, he managed to figure out exactly how she felt. "Tieria…"

"This isn't the same as viral pneumonia," Tieria said, "When I had pneumonia all I wanted to do was sleep. I couldn't eat anything because my stomach wouldn't hold anything down and I could barely move, not because I broke two ribs falling off my Gundam but because I was extremely weak. This is probably just a cold, I did fall asleep in wet clothing the other day. So please don't worry so much, I'll feel better in a few days."

Feldt nodded. "You should probably eat before the soup gets cold," She said.

Tieria nodded, "Could you hand me my glasses?" He asked.

"Sure," Feldt said as she picked up the glasses, "I've always wondered if these are just for show or if you actually need them."

"Put them on and find out," Tieria said, "Everyone else has."

"Really?" Feldt said as she carefully put the glasses on, "Oh wow, you really do need them." She then took the glasses off and handed them to Tieria, "I always thought that they were just for show."

"If they were just for show, I wouldn't wear them," Tieria said, "They can be annoying at times. Does the news come on soon?"

"Yeah, I think so," Feldt said, "Why?"

"I want to see what's going on in the world," Tieria said as he finished the soup, "I check the news every night in several different languages but it's always the same, nothing ever happens."

"Alright," Feldt said, "Just don't stay up too late. You're sick and you need more rest than usual."

Tieria nodded as he got out of bed and walked into the living room. He sat down on the couch. The television was already on and there was a game show on but he wasn't interested he picked up the book that was on the coffee table and began reading it. After a few minutes his communicator went off. He picked it up and answered.

"Ah good you're awake!" Sumeragi said before Tieria could even say hello.

"Sumeragi," Tieria said, "It's good to see you."

"Are you an idiot?" Sumeragi asked, "I heard about the little stunt you pulled this morning. And you need to learn that when you have a fever YOU NEED TO STAY IN BED!"

Tieria sighed, "I needed to get Feldt a jacket," he said, "I wasn't feeling all that bad until about two hours into the trip."

"That's not what I heard from Feldt," Sumeragi said, "She said that you had been acting sick since you woke up. She also told me that you woke up rather late today. Are you _ever _going to learn? If you get sicker because of today it will be your own damn fault!" She paused for a bit, "So aside from being sick how are you doing?"

"I can't really complain," Tieria said after coughing a bit, "The weather is a bit cold…but aside from that…everything is…fine…"

"That cough worries me Tieria," Sumeragi said, "Why aren't you in bed?"

"I want…to watch the…news…" Tieria said between coughs, "I'll go…back to bed…when the news is over."

"You had better," Sumeragi said, "And you should probably look into seeing a doctor if your cough continues like that."

"This isn't the same as pneumonia," Tieria said as the coughing subsided, "I don't feel nearly as sick as I felt when I had pneumonia."

"If you say so," Sumeragi said, "Well, I'll let you rest. Take it easy until you're well do you hear me? I'll have Feldt keep me updated on your condition and if I hear that you're acting reckless there _will _be consequences, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," Tieria said, "Talk to you later Sumeragi."

"Talk to you later," Sumeragi said, "Take care of yourself Goddammit!"

"I will," Tieria said, "Take care."

Tieria sighed as the call ended. He was starting to grow increasingly drowsy and he rested his head on the arm rest of the couch.

"Tieria," Feldt said, "I really think that you should skip the news tonight and go back to bed."

"I'll be alright," Tieria said tiredly, "I'll go to bed as soon as the news is over."

"Alright," Feldt said as she sat down next to Tieria, "Do you watch the news a lot to see if it gives you any clues as to where the others might be?"

Tieria gasped. Feldt figured him out down to the very last detail, "Something like that," He said softly as the new broadcast jingle came on.

"_We have breaking news for you tonight," _The anchor woman said, _"Nearly two years after the fall of the private armed intervention organization, Celestial Being, new footage of an unknown mobile suit emitting green particles has been released."_

Tieria sat up as he watched the fuzzy footage.

"_This footage was taken by a free-lance photographer over the Middle East yesterday."_

"That's the Exia," Tieria said, "That has to be the Exia."

"_We cannot say if the Mobile Suit in the footage is indeed a Gundam. We will have more information on the story as it becomes available."_

Tieria sighed as he shut his eyes. //Setsuna…// He thought, //What are you doing?//

* * *

"_Tieria…Tieria…Tieria, wake up."_

He moaned slightly and opened his eyes. Feldt was kneeling in front of him, "Feldt…"

"You should go to bed," She said, "You've been asleep for the past for the past two hours."

"Have I?" Tieria asked tiredly, "What time is it?"

"About nine," Feldt said, "Are you alright?" Tieria nodded and sat up, "If you need anything during the night don't be afraid to ask." Tieria nodded again then stood up, "Sleep well Tieria,"

"Thanks," Tieria murmured, "Don't stay up all night. We don't need you to get sick as well."

"I won't," Feldt said, "Check your temperature before you fall asleep and write it down for me."

"Good night Feldt," Tieria muttered.

"Good night Tieria," Feldt said, "Try to sleep well."

"You too," Tieria said with a weak smile.

Feldt sighed as Tieria left the room, //He pushes himself far too hard// She thought, //But then again it's Tieria, I should expect this sort of thing from him//

* * *

Tieria really needs to learn to take it easy, but I don't think that would come easy for him anyway. But perhaps he'll listen to Sumeragi better than he listened to Feldt and Saji. And was the unknown mobile suit _really _the Exia? Find out next time Minna-san!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	13. Was it All Just a Dream

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back with another new chapter! Wow, two in one week, I'm on a roll! Tieria is going to be a bit out of character in this chapter but then again a fever will do that to anyone. Well aside from the disclaimer, (with an added something today) you can get started. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or it's characters but the plot and Devon are mine. Oh and I don't own Super Smash Bros. Melee either.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Was it All Just a Dream

Setsuna stood at the door of the apartment that he had used two years ago. He figured that he would have to lie low for a while after he was spotted over the Middle East the day before. He unlocked the door and found that almost everything was exactly as he had left it the last time he had been there. The only thing that was out of the ordinary were the two jackets and pairs of shoes that were in the small foyer area. He knew that Celestial Being owned the apartment indefinitely but he was still a bit hesitant. He nearly turned and left however something told him to see who was using the apartment.

He quietly walked into one of the bedrooms and what he saw shocked him. One of his fellow Meisters, Tieria Erde, was sleeping restlessly in the bed.

//Why is Tieria Erde here?//He thought as he approached the bed. As odd as it seemed, he was glad to see Tieria there. It meant that he had survived the battle two years before, and it meant that in time Celestial Being could be rebuilt. However there was something about Tieria's appearance that worried him. Tieria was looking a lot weaker and sicker then he had ever seen him, and he just didn't look healthy at all.

Setsuna frowned as he gently placed the back of his hand to Tieria's forehead. Tieria's skin was sweaty and rather warm. //He's burning up…// Setsuna thought, //Could he be living here now because whatever happened to him during the battle left him unable to pilot ever again? I hope that's not the case…we need him// Setsuna sighed. Tieria almost never got sick, even if everyone was struck down with a cold and fever, Tieria avoided despite trying to take care of everyone who fell ill. He looked at the bedside table again and written on a piece of paper in Tieria's handwriting was "Thirty-nine point two at 21:15"

//Thirty-nine point two…// Setsuna thought, //He's got a rather high fever…He looks uncomfortable…//

Setsuna removed his hand and found a pair of groggy, fever-glazed garnet eyes looking back at him, "Setsuna F. Seiei…" Tieria muttered, "Why are you here…? Are you…like Neil…?"

"Tieria Erde," Setsuna said softly, "You're not well, go back to sleep."

"Are you alive…?" Tieria asked, "Or am I…the only one left…?" Tieria tried to sit up Setsuna stopped him, "You are alive aren't you…" Tieria muttered tiredly, "Ghosts aren't solid…ugh…Setsuna…I don't feel so well…"

"Go back to sleep and you'll feel better," Setsuna said as he pulled the covers up to Tieria's shoulders, "Don't worry, just sleep."

Tieria nodded in compliance and shut his eyes. Setsuna then quietly walked from the room. He went to the washroom where he took a cloth and ran it under cold water. He then returned to Tieria's room and placed the cloth on the boy's forehead as some else entered the room.

* * *

Feldt woke to the sound of running water. She had been in a light sleep just in case Tieria happened to need something during the night. //I thought I told him to call me if he needed anything// she thought as she sat up in bed. But when the bed in the other room never creaked she got nervous. She quickly got out of bed and grabbed Tieria's gun, which had been kept hidden in the dresser in her room, and she quickly left the room. When she entered Tieria's room there was a dark figure that was taller than her but slightly shorter than Tieria standing over Tieria's bed.

"Who are you!?" She hissed as she pointed the gun at the figure which had turned around, "I said who are you?! I'm armed!" She might have been armed but she was still scared. The person in front of her could have been anyone.

"Soran Ibrahim," The figured stated in a familiar almost monotone voice, "Codename, Setsuna F. Seiei."

"Setsuna!?" Feldt gasped as she dropped the gun causing Tieria to stir and moan.

"Shh, you'll wake him," Setsuna said, "We'll talk in the other room."

Feldt nodded as she picked up the gun and followed Setsuna into the living room after shutting the door to Tieria's room, "Setsuna, what are you doing here?" She asked.

"I came here because I was spotted over the Middle East yesterday and I needed a placed to lie low for a while," Setsuna said, "Why are you and Tieria here? Is he alright to pilot?"

"Tieria hasn't been feeling well for a while now," Feldt said, "He hasn't been sick like he is now but he hasn't been well. He's been working himself to exhaustion trying to find you and Allelujah, so Sumeragi made him take a leave of absence. Don't worry he is still able to pilot."

"Did he agree to it?" Setsuna said mentally sighing in relief that Tieria could still pilot. He couldn't imagine Tieria signing the form willingly, he was just too focused on his work to do so.

"Believe it or not he did," Feldt said, "I couldn't believe it, none of us could. But, even he admitted to needing some time off."

"I see," Setsuna said, "What is today's date?"

"Today is the eighth of December," Feldt said, "Why?"

"It's almost his birthday," Setsuna said as he turned towards the door, "I'll be back about this time tomorrow. You might want to put some ice on the back of Tieria's neck to cool his body." He opened the door, "Don't tell anyone about me."

"Why?" Feldt asked.

"There are things I need to do before I can return."

Feldt sighed as she went to get an ice pack then entered Tieria's room. She looked at the note pad and sighed. She carefully tried to get the ice pack under Tieria's neck without waking him but was unsuccessful.

"Feldt…" Tieria whispered, "Setsuna…where is he?"

"What are you talking about Tieria?" Feldt asked.

"Setsuna's alive…he was just here…" Tieria mumbled, "Where is he?"

"You must have been dreaming Tieria," Feldt said as she replaced the cloth which had fallen off Tieria's forehead, "Setsuna's not here."

"But he was…" Tieria said, "He was here a little while ago…"

Feldt sighed, "Go back to sleep Tieria," She said, "You're running a pretty high fever and you need your rest."

Tieria, not having the energy to argue at such an hour with such a fever, shut his eyes and fell back into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Feldt sighed as she knocked on Saji's door. She needed to go shopping for Tieria's birthday and she didn't want to bother Saji but, Tieria did not sleep well at all so she didn't want to leave him alone.

"Ah Feldt-chan," Saji greeted, "Good morning, what can I do for you?"

"I need you to watch Tieria," Feldt said, "He didn't have a good night and I don't want to leave him alone. You aren't busy are you?"

Saji nodded, "Alright," Saji said, "I don't have to be at work until four so, I'll be able to watch him for a while."

"Thank you so much," Feldt said.

"No problem," Saji said, "I'll be over in a little bit."

* * *

Tieria woke up the next day feeling somewhat better. He was still feeling sluggish and feverish but he definitely felt a bit better. He sat up and grabbed his glasses and the thermometer off the bedside table, //Feldt is probably going to ask what my temperature is// He thought as he placed the thermometer in his mouth. After a few moments the small device in his mouth beeped and he removed it, //Well, it's down from yesterday// He then put the small device back on the table and got out of bed. He changed into something comfortable and left his room.

When he walked into living room and instead of finding Feldt there, he found Saji sitting on the couch playing video games.

"Saji Crossroad," Tieria said.

"Ah Tieria-san," Saji said as he paused his game, "Good morning. How are you feeling today?"

"I've felt better," Tieria said as he sat down on the couch, "But I feel a bit better than I did yesterday. Where is Feldt?"

"She had something she needed to do," Saji said, "And she said that you had a bad night and she didn't want to leave you alone. Do you play video games?"

"No," Tieria said, "I never really had the time to play video games."

"That's right," Saji said, "You were in the military. What about when you were a child? Did you play video games then?"

Tieria gasped. He had been "born" as a fully grown young adult. He had never had a childhood because he had never been a child, "My parents wouldn't allow that sort of thing in our house," Tieria lied, "They were very strict."

"I see," Saji said as he held out a controller, "Would you like to play?"

Tieria took the controller, "I have nothing else to do today," He said.

"We'll do a team battle so you can learn the controls," Saji said, "Would you believe that the characters in this game have been around for over three hundred years? This is the three hundred year anniversary edition of Super Smash Bros. Melee." He paused, "I would do _anything _to get my hands on the original version."

"So what do I do?" Tieria asked. He had never in his life played a video game. Setsuna and Lockon did have game systems in their quarters but he had never once played or even seen them. He had been quite clear that such foolish pastimes were not suitable leisurely activities for them to be engaging in.

"You select the character that you want to use," Saji said, since you're new at this I would suggest using Link, the blond one in the green outfit, he's a good starting character. So to attack, use your sword and pick things up you hit the A button." He explained as he set up the rest of the battle royal, "Press and hold B to use arrows, B and down to throw bombs, B and up for a super sword swing. You use X and Y to jump and Z to grab and throw people. Do you understand it?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I think so."

"That's great," Saji said as he started the battle royal, "Let's start!"

* * *

Tieria found the game to be rather enjoyable. It was a bit fast paced and hard to follow but it was quite fun.

"You did really well for you first time," Saji said, "I guess it's because you're a pilot. Are you up for another round?"

"I think I can go for another round," Tieria said. He was starting to get drowsy but he could probably stay awake for a little while longer.

"Are you ready?" Saji asked. Tieria nodded and he started the game.

* * *

With about ten minutes left of the game, Tieria's character stopped moving.

"Tieria, what's wrong?" Saji asked as he looked over and saw that Tieria had fallen asleep. He stopped the battle royal, disconnected Tieria's controller and continued playing the game after removing Tieria's glasses from his face.

* * *

When Feldt got back to the apartment she was rather surprised to see Tieria asleep on the couch.

"How is he doing this morning?" Feldt asked as she put the bags in her room.

"He woke up around nine thirty," Saji said, "He played video games with me for about an hour and a half or so before he fell asleep again."

"How long has he been asleep?" Feldt asked.

"About an hour," Saji said.

"Has he eaten anything today?" Feldt said. She was still a little bit worried about Tieria. He had only eaten a bit of soup the day before. She knew that Tieria had a hard time dealing with heat and the fever was probably decreasing his appetite. But she didn't want him growing weak from not eating.

"No he hasn't," Saji said.

Feldt nodded and walked up to Tieria. "Tieria," She called, "Tieria, wake up."

"Don't wake him," Saji said, "He's sick."

"He needs to eat," Feldt said as Tieria stirred.

"Feldt," Tieria muttered as he opened his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Feldt asked as Saji handed Tieria his glasses.

"A bit better," Tieria said. He put his hand to his head, his headache and lightheadedness had returned and he made a mental note to go back to bed after he had a little something to eat. "My temperature is down quite a bit from last night."

"What is it?" Feldt asked.

"Thirty-eight point five," Tieria said.

"That is down quite a bit," Feldt said, "How about I make you something to eat?"

"Sure," Tieria said, "But I'm not that hungry so just some soup will be fine."

"Alright," Feldt said, "Saji-san do you want something too?"

"I'll have whatever Tieria-san is having," Saji said, "You don't have to go crazy."

"Okay," Feldt said as she walked into the kitchen, "So Tieria, what do you want to do about tomorrow?"

"Why, what's tomorrow?" Tieria asked as he rested his aching head against the armrest of the couch.

"Tomorrow is the ninth of December," Feldt said.

"Oh," Tieria said. It was his "birthday." The day that Veda had assigned to him based solely on his personality. He basically forgot about it every year, now if only Sumeragi and the others would have done the same, "I see. I don't know it depends on how I feel."

"Tieria-san, is tomorrow your birthday or something?" Saji asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said, "It's my birthday."

"Oh wow," Saji said, "How old will you be turning?"

"Eighteen," Tieria said without missing a beat.

"Oh wow you're so young," Saji said, "To be in the military at eighteen. But wasn't Fallen Angels two years ago?"

Tieria sighed. He was tired and he didn't feel like talking much. "Yeah," He answered, "Our parents are higher ups in the military and they got us in as soon as they could. Then once we were in the military they abandoned us."

"That's awful," Saji said as Tieria began coughing pretty badly, "You should take some medicine, it will help you feel better."

"I can't," Tieria said his voice hoarse from coughing, "I'm allergic to most types of medication." He coughed a bit more, "I would end up much sicker than I am right now."

"Here," Saji said as he handed Tieria a piece of hard candy, "This will help break up your cough a bit. You should also try honey."

"I will," Tieria said as he slowly sat up to eat.

"So I take it your parents won't be coming to celebrate your birthday," Saji said.

"They probably assumed we had been killed two years ago," Feldt said playing along with what Tieria had started. At the moment Tieria was trying to eat between fits of coughing. She felt bad for Tieria and wished that she could give him something to ease the coughing but what he had said was true. He would only end up sicker if he took medication. Even a simple low dose fever reducer made him extremely nauseous.

"That's really terrible," Saji said as he finished his lunch, "Thank you for the lunch Feldt-chan. I'm going to head back to my apartment now."

"Alright," Feldt said, "Thank you for coming by Saji-san."

"You're welcome," Saji said, "I hope you feel better soon Tieria-san."

"Thanks," Tieria as he put the spoon down, "Feldt, I can't eat this right now." The coughing had made his headache much worse and was now accompanied by slight nausea, "I'm going back to bed."

"Okay," Feldt said, "Try to eat a little something later on, okay?"

"I will," Tieria said as he headed to his room to hopefully sleep off the headache he had.

Feldt sighed as she picked up the tray that Tieria had left on the table. She knew that he was having a hard time and she wished that she could make it easier for him but she couldn't. She put the almost untouched soup in the refrigerator as her communicator went off.

"_Ah Feldt,"_ Sumeragi greeted, "_How are things? Tieria isn't around is he?"_

"They're alright," Feldt said, "Tieria still has fever and he's not really doing any better than he did yesterday. Don't worry he's asleep right now."

"_I see,"_ Sumeragi said, _"Well we're in Japan. We figured since the apartment is so small that we would stay in a nearby hotel. I think we'll come over at about noon tomorrow if that's alright."_

"But what am I going to do about the cooking?" Feldt asked.

"_Linda and I have that all under control,"_ Sumeragi said, _"I just hope that Tieria is up to celebrating. It doesn't sound as though his fever will break before tomorrow_."

"I'm sure he'll be alright," Feldt said, "I just hope he sleeps better tonight. He was up coughing a lot last night."

"_You should get a doctor to check it out if it persists," _Sumeragi said, _"Just in case. Well I'm sure you're busy so I'll let you go now."_

"See you tomorrow Sumeragi," Feldt said.

"_See ya!"_

Feldt sighed as she went back to cleaning up from lunch.

* * *

Several hours later as Feldt was making supper, Tieria walked back in to the living room.

"Tieria," Feldt greeted, "Are you feeling any better?"

"A little bit," Tieria muttered. The nausea had gone away and the headache had subsided a bit but he still felt awful. "My temperature is starting to go up again."

"What is it?" Feldt asked.

"Thirty-eight point nine," Tieria said.

"It's starting to get later," Feldt said, "Are you hungry?"

"A little bit," Tieria said tiredly. The nap he had taken had done nothing to yield the exhaustion he felt.

"Alright," Feldt said as she brought him some soup and a cup of tea, "Soup and tea are the best things to have when you have a cold."

"Thank you," Tieria muttered, "Can you turn the news on? I want to see if there's anything more on the unknown mobile suit."

"Okay," Feldt said as she turned on the television, "The news should come on any minute. Do you want me to get your glasses for you?"

"No," Tieria said, "They're not helping much today."

"Okay," Feldt said as she sat down next to Tieria.

"_Yesterday we brought you breaking news on footage of an unknown mobile over the Middle East yesterday," _The woman said, _"Today, we bring you more footage that has emerged this clip was captured over a Canadian military base about a month ago and this footage captured last night over Japan. We cannot say for sure if the two mobile suits are Gundams however A-Laws Commander in Chief, Homer Katagiri has released this statement."_

"_Though we cannot be certain if these unknown mobile suits are indeed the dreaded Gundams," _Homer said, _"I can guarantee that the A-Laws will do whatever necessary to ensure that the peace and safety of the people on Earth remain. We will take down the threat at hand."_

Tieria sighed.

"What's wrong?" Feldt asked.

"I saw Setsuna last night," Tieria said softly, "He was in my room. But I don't know if it was a dream or not…everything is kind of vague."

"I think it was a dream," Feldt said, "Setsuna went missing after Fallen Angels. You were probably thinking about him so you dreamt about him."

Tieria nodded, "I think I'm going to go take a cold shower then go to bed," he said.

"Okay," Feldt said, "That sounds like a good idea. The cold water will help with your fever and you need to rest. Good night Tieria."

"Good night Feldt," Tieria said as he walked from the room

* * *

Poor Tieria, he thinks that Setsuna showing up in his room in the middle of the night was just a dream. But then again Setsuna doesn't want Tieria to know he's there so whatever. And T-chan is still feeling sick, poor kid, what will that mean for the celebration of his "birthday" party? Find out next time. Ja ne Minna-san!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	14. Not a Very Happy Birthday

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back again, I was home sick almost all week so I had a lot of time on my hands. And I promise, this will be the last chapter that I torture Tieria in…for…this story anyway. I like torturing him deal with it, he's adorable. So anyway, this is probably the longest chapter I've written in a while aside from that, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or it's characters but the plot and Devon are mine.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Not a Very Happy Birthday

Feldt sighed as she sat on the couch waiting for Setsuna. Tieria had been coughing for a while now and it worried her. Although it wasn't a dry unproductive cough, it still worried her. She looked at her watch, it was a bit past eleven at night and Setsuna was set to come by a little bit past midnight. She shut her eyes as Tieria stopped coughing. //Good it seems as though it's calmed down a bit// she thought. She sat there with her eyes closed for a little bit until she heard a door open.

"Setsuna?" She asked quietly as she opened her eyes. However the response she got was not the one she wanted.

"Feldt," A hoarse whisper came, "You saw him too?"

"Tieria," Feldt gasped, "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep," Tieria said as he sat down on the couch next to Feldt, "What are you doing up so late?"

"I couldn't sleep either," Feldt lied.

"I thought I told you not to worry about me," Tieria said softly, "I'll be alright. It's just a cold I'll feel better in a few days once it runs its course."

"Alright," Feldt said, "If you say so. How high was your fever last time you checked?"

"Thirty-nine," Tieria said, "And that was from a few minutes ago."

"Okay," Feldt said, "So what do you want to do tomorrow? Well if you're feeling up to it what would you like to do? Would you like to go to a restaurant or just stay here?"

"I don't know," Tieria muttered tiredly, "I highly doubt I'll be feeling better by tomorrow."

"I guess you're right," Feldt said, "A quite day here would probably be best for you right now. Do you want something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry," Tieria murmured as he shut his eyes.

Feldt sighed as she put her hand to Tieria's forehead, "You should go back to bed Tieria," she said, "You look exhausted."

"I'm just going to stay here for a little longer," He said, "Then I'll go back to bed." In all actuality Tieria didn't have the energy to go back to his room.

Feldt sighed. She knew that Tieria was really nice once you got to know him but it was really difficult to start a conversation with him. Tieria was almost socially awkward but then again, everyone in Celestial Being was socially awkward. She looked up to see Tieria leaning towards the table. She sighed as she gently eased him against the couch.

"Thanks," Tieria muttered.

"Are you alright?" Feldt asked as she got up to get a cool compress for Tieria's forehead.

"I'm tired," Tieria answered softly, "But…I can't sleep…"

"You should go back to bed," Feldt said softly as she placed the cold cloth on Tieria's forehead.

"Just let me sleep here," Tieria said as he sat up a bit to let Feldt sit on the couch, "Ugh…I'm dizzy…"

Feldt sighed as Tieria rested his head on her lap. Now she knew why Tieria wouldn't go back to his bed. //What am I going to do?// She thought, //Setsuna's going to be here really soon and he doesn't want Tieria to know he's alive//

About thirty minutes later she heard the lock unlatch and she sighed as Tieria stirred. //Please, Tieria, stay asleep//

"Feldt, what's that?" Tieria asked tiredly, "Who's at the door?"

"It's no one Tieria," Feldt said as the door creaked open, "I must not have shut the door all the way. If you let me up I'll go close it."

Tieria raised his head a bit and Feldt stood up and walked towards the door.

"What's wrong Feldt?" Setsuna asked quietly.

"Tieria's on the couch," She said, "He woke up about half an hour ago and he's too weak to walk back to his room. I don't know what to do? If he sees you he'll know."

Setsuna sighed, "That's fine," He said, "How is he doing?"

"The same as yesterday," Feldt said, "His fever still hasn't come down and his coughing is getting worse."

Setsuna nodded as he walked into the apartment. He knelt down next to the couch, "Tieria Erde," he said softly, "You need to be back in bed."

"I can't," Tieria muttered, "I'm dizzy…"

"I'll help you," Setsuna said as he gently helped Tieria sit up, "Come on. You'll get sicker sleeping out here."

Tieria nodded and leaned heavily on Setsuna, "Are you…still alive…?"

Setsuna sighed, "Yes I am," He said softly, "But I can't come back yet."

Tieria nodded as Setsuna eased him back against the bed, "Will you come back?" he asked.

"Yeah," Setsuna said, "Don't worry I'll be back. Then we'll find Allelujah Haptism together. But for now, just sleep."

Tieria nodded then slipped back to sleep. Setsuna then quietly walked out of the room and shut the door.

"Why did you come back?" Feldt asked.

Setsuna handed her a neatly wrapped package, "Give this to Tieria," he said, "It's his birthday gift."

"I'll make sure he gets it," Feldt said, "Thank you Setsuna."

"Before I leave there's something that I want to know," Setsuna said, "What happened to him after Fallen Angels?"

"During the battle he had broken every rib on his right side at least three of them shattered," Feldt said, "He sustained a concussion and was in a coma for three months. Then he was bedridden for nearly a month because he wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep and would suffer violent nightmares every night. But then the nightmares just stopped and it was if they had never happened. But before we took a leave of absence he stopped eating and sleeping again. He would work himself to exhaustion trying to find you and Allelujah."

"I see," Setsuna said as he headed towards the door, "Tell him to stop looking for us. Take care of him."

"I will," Feldt said, "Be careful Setsuna."

Setsuna nodded and left the apartment.

Feldt sighed as she checked on Tieria. He was sleeping restlessly but at least he was sleeping. She then went to her own to room to get some sleep.

* * *

Tieria woke up to a pale light filtering in from the window. He moaned and turned away from the light. He was still feeling terrible and he just wanted to fall back to sleep. But now he was awake and getting back to sleep was not going to be easy. He slowly sat up ignoring the lightheadedness he felt. He then reached for his glasses and the thermometer. He knew he still had a fever, he was both warm and cold at the same time and he just felt sluggish. He put the thermometer in his mouth and when it beeped he found that it was still registering thirty-nine. //Perhaps it's breaking// he thought as he got out of bed and walked to the living room.

He found that Feldt hadn't woken up yet but then again, it was six thirty in the morning. He sat down on the couch and rested his head up against the armrest and started reading the book that he had left there the night before.

* * *

Feldt woke to the sound of something hitting the floor in the other room. She quickly got out of bed and went to investigate. As she entered the living room she found Tieria asleep on the couch. //How long has he been out here?// She thought as she placed her hand on Tieria's forehead, //He's still really warm// Feldt then went into the other room to get a blanket. When she reentered the room she noticed that Tieria still had his glasses on and there was a book on the floor, //He must have been reading// She thought as she removed Tieria's glasses from his face and gently draped the blanket over him, //I'll just let him rest here for a while//

* * *

About two hours later Tieria woke up to something cool being placed on his forehead.

"I'm sorry," Feldt said, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's alright," Tieria said.

"How are you feeling today?" Feldt asked as Tieria sat up.

"I feel the same as yesterday," Tieria said, "Sick and exhausted."

"What is your temperature?" Feldt asked.

"Thirty-nine," Tieria answered.

Feldt nodded, "So I take it you don't feel like doing anything today." She said.

Tieria shook his head, "I'm sorry," He said, "I just don't feel up to doing anything today."

"That's understandable," Feldt said, "You're sick." There was then a knock at the door, "Tieria would you get that?"

Tieria nodded and stood up. He walked to the door and what he saw when he opened it surprised him, "Sumeragi?" Tieria gasped, "What are you doing here?"

"Celebrating your birthday of course," Sumeragi said as she noticed the pale pink tinge to his cheeks, "You're still sick aren't you?"

"Yeah," Tieria said as he stepped aside to let Sumeragi, Ian, Linda and Mileina in.

"Then why aren't you in bed?" Sumeragi asked.

"I couldn't stand lying around," Tieria said, "I was resting on the couch when you got here."

"Erde-san!" Mileina cried as she threw her arms around Tieria's neck, "I missed you so much! Feldt-san's so lucky she gets to spend a month on earth with Erde-san!"

"Hello Mileina," Tieria said as he coughed.

"Are you not feeling well Erde-san?" Mileina asked as she released Tieria, "You feel warm."

"I have a fever, Mileina," Tieria said as he went back to the couch and continued coughing.

"Aw, that sucks," Mileina said, "It's your birthday too."

"Tieria," Sumeragi said, "I really don't like the sound of the cough. I think I'm going to call a doctor."

"I'm fine," Tieria said, "I don't need to see a doctor."

"Ugh, you're so stubborn!" Sumeragi said, "Tieria that cough could be serious!"

"Or it could be just a cold," Tieria snapped, "I'm fine!"

"If you say so," Sumeragi said, "So I hope you're hungry."

"Not really," Tieria said, "I'll just have some soup."

"Alright fine," Sumeragi said, "But you are going to have some cake later."

"I really don't want any," Tieria said tiredly, "I don't like that sort of thing and I'm not hungry anyway."

"Aw come on Tieria," Sumeragi said, "It's your birthday!"

"I don't care," Tieria said as he rested his head against the armrest again, "It's not really my birthday. It's just a day that Veda assigned to me based solely on my personality so it means nothing to me."

"That's so sad," Mileina said softly.

Tieria looked over at the young girl who was carrying a tray, "Mileina…what do you mean?"

"You don't know your real birthday," She said as she handed the tray to Tieria, "But you should be happy that Veda gave you a new birth date since you can't remember your real one."

"Mileina…" Tieria said. The girl had completely misunderstood him. But then again, Lockon had been the only one who had known his secret. He didn't quite know how Lockon had figured out that he wasn't human but somehow he had.

"Even if it's not your real birthday you should still celebrate," Mileina said, "It's better than having no birthday at all."

Tieria nodded, "I guess you're right," He said as he took a sip of the soup.

"Plus on your birthday," Mileina said, "People give you stuff!" She thrust a nicely wrapped box at Tieria, "Happy birthday Erde-san! Even if it's not your real birthday!"

"Thanks Mileina," Tieria said as he abandoned the soup. He didn't have much of an appetite at all and he was feeling almost slightly nauseous. So he figured he would take it safe, he didn't have a strong stomach and it didn't take much to make him sick.

"Is that all you're going to eat?" Mileina asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I'm not very hungry."

"So do we do cake or presents first?" Sumeragi asked.

"It doesn't matter," Tieria said tiredly, so much for a quiet day, "Presents I guess."

"Okay," Sumeragi said as she handed him a small stack, "Here you are."

"You didn't have to do this," Tieria said, "It would have been alright without all of this."

"It may have been alright for you," Sumeragi said, "But it wouldn't have been alright for us."

Tieria nodded and took one of the packages and opened it. It was the small device that he had often seen Lockon use when they didn't have anything to do. "Is this Lockon's music player?" he asked.

"Yes it is," Ian said, "We were able to recover it from the first Ptolemaios and we figured he would want you to have it."

"Thank you Ian," He said as he clutched the small device and tried not to cry. He then set the device down and picked up the next package. It was several classical music CDs from Linda.

"You said that you liked classical music," She said, "And none of us had any so I went out and bought you some."

"Thank you Linda," Tieria said as he picked up the gift from Mileina. He opened it and found that it was one of the books he had been wanting, "Thank you Mileina."

"You're welcome," She said, "Feldt-san told me that that book was one of the ones you wanted."

He set it aside and picked up the one from Sumeragi. He wasn't quite sure what to expect from her but what he was shocked him. It was a small photo album.

"I ended up having to take the photos from you room," She said, "But we couldn't find enough to fill the album and the ones you had were enough to fill it so sorry."

"It's alright," Tieria said softly as he looked through it biting his lip to keep himself from crying. He was shocked at just how many pictures of them had been taken.

"Most of them came from Haro," Sumeragi said, "There were also a lot that we couldn't put in there because of content. Haro could be a bit of a…pervert. But don't worry we had it delete all of the inappropriate pictures from its databanks."

"Thank you so much Sumeragi," Tieria said as he put the album aside and took the presents that Feldt was handing to him, "Thanks Feldt." He opened them and found all the books that he had mentioned to her, "Thank you."

"I had a hard time finding a few of them in their original languages," She said, "But I managed. Here," She said as she handed him another package, "Saji-san dropped this off while you were sleeping."

Tieria opened it to find a pair of navy blue leather gloves and a note.

"_I figured that you could use a pair of gloves. I was going to suggest it when we went shopping but since you were feeling so ill that day I didn't say anything. Happy birthday Tieria-san."_

"That was nice of him," Tieria said, "I'll have to thank him in some way."

"Here there's one more," Feldt said, "I don't know who it's from but Saji-san handed it to me when he gave me his gift to you."

"Thank you," Tieria said as he took the package and opened it.

"That's the one book I couldn't find anywhere," Feldt said, "Even on the internet…"

"Who gave me this?" Tieria asked, "There was no name…"

"I wouldn't worry about it," Linda said, "Perhaps it Chall Acustica. She's into books like that and I know that the two of you would talk about literature quite a bit."

Tieria nodded. He was getting tired and he wanted to go back to sleep but he knew that Sumeragi wasn't going to let him off the hook without having some cake first.

"Alright cake time!" Sumeragi said, "We won't do the candle part because I know how you get about that."

"I just want a small piece," Tieria said, "I'm not feeling well and I don't want to overdo it."

"Okay," Sumeragi said as she walked into the kitchen to cut the cake, "Linda will you help me?"

"Alright," Linda said as she too entered the kitchen.

Tieria sighed and rested his head against the armrest. He was exhausted and he wanted to sleep. His head was starting to hurt and he was starting to feel nauseous. He had a feeling that his fever was starting to break but he hadn't experienced enough fevers to know.

"Tieria-kun," Linda said as she handed him a very small piece of cake, "Do you still want this?"

"Yeah," He said as he sat up and took the plate.

"Don't force yourself," Linda said, "If you're not feeling well enough to eat this then don't."

Tieria nodded and took the cake. He took a small bite and the sick feeling rose a bit. He knew that he probably shouldn't have continued eating the confection but he didn't want Sumeragi to worry about him. When he finished the cake he put the plate on one of then end tables and rested against the couch again. He felt rather sick to his stomach and he just wanted to sleep for a bit.

"Are you alright?" Linda asked.

"I'm just tired," Tieria muttered as he shut his eyes, "Just let me sleep."

"Alright sleep well." Linda said.

_

* * *

Tieria opened his eyes and he found Allelujah, Neil, and two faces he hadn't seen in several years, Grave Violento and Hixar Fermi standing in front of him._

"What are you doing here?" _He asked._

"_Well we're not here to wish you a happy birthday," Hallelujah said, "That's for sure."_

"Then why?" _Tieria asked._

"_We're here to do to you what you did to us," Hixar said, "You nearly killed me all those years ago. When the Virtue's beam hit the unit I was piloting I thought I had died. And you never showed any remorse or concern towards me."_

"You know that's not true," _Tieria said, _"Grave you knew that I was worried about Hixar! Tell him, tell him that I was concerned about him."

"_I cannot do that Tieria," Grave said, "I trust Hixar more than I trust a boy that I barely knew. We knew nothing about you when you showed up, nothing. Your age, your real name and your back round were all a mystery to us. Yet I didn't question the matter because Veda recommended you to us. I'm not even sure if you're human or not."_

"_He's not human," Neil said, "I knew from the first time I met him that he wasn't human."_

"_Well if he isn't human than he's a monster," Hallelujah said. "Oi monster, do you know what humans like us do to monsters like you?" Hallelujah pulled a gun on Tieria, "That's right, we kill them."_

_Tieria gasped as the three other men standing in front of him pulled guns out and shot him. All the shots hit him the chest and stomach leaving him in excruciating pain. He then watched as Neil fired the last shot which hit him right in the forehead and the scene when black._

"Tieria-kun…Tieria-kun…Tieria-kun wake up!"

* * *

Tieria woke up to a terrible stomachache and Linda's calm voice coxing him out of his unconscious.

"Tieria-kun," Linda said as he looked up at her, "What's wrong?"

"I feel sick…" he said as he rolled on to his side and threw up the little he had eaten that day.

"Oh," Linda said as she rubbed Tieria's back as he finished, "Okay, take it easy. Does your stomach hurt?" Tieria nodded, "Alright, Ian will you help him to the washroom until he feels better."

Ian nodded as he helped Tieria sit up slowly, "Come on," Ian said as he got Tieria to stand and avoid the mess on the floor. Halfway to the washroom Tieria clamped his hand to his mouth again and Ian tried to hurry the boy to the washroom before he was sick again but was unsuccessful, "Alright, alright" Ian said as he rubbed Tieria's back in circles to help him.

"I'm sorry," Tieria mumbled as he walked into the washroom.

"Don't worry about it," Ian said, "Just sit down. I'll get you a change of clothes."

Sumeragi walked into the washroom as Tieria sat against the wall, "Tieria," She said, "I think I'm going to call a doctor just to be safe." Tieria nodded as Sumeragi pressed a damp cloth to his sweaty forehead, "Do you feel like you're going to be sick again?" Tieria shook his head, "Does your stomach still hurt?" Tieria nodded.

"I'm sorry," She said, "This is all my fault. You would have been fine if I didn't make you eat that piece of cake."

"It's not your fault," Tieria whispered as Sumeragi handed him a cup of water. He had a feeling that he probably would have thrown up regardless of whether he had eaten the cake or not, "I was feeling nauseous when I ate the cake."

"Here Tieria," Ian said as he handed the boy a clean pair of pajamas.

"We'll leave you to change," Sumeragi said, "After that, I think I would be best if you went back to bed for the day."

Tieria nodded as Ian and Sumeragi left the room. He quickly changed out of the soiled clothes and put them on the vanity. He then walked out of the washroom.

"Are you feeling better Tieria-kun?" Linda asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said softly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make a mess everywhere."

"That's fine. These things happen Tieria-kun." Linda said as she started cleaning the mess on the floor, "Just take it easy and if you want a little later on I'll give you something for your upset stomach."

Tieria nodded then went back to his bed where he quickly fell back to sleep.

* * *

Sometime later Tieria woke to Sumeragi nudging him.

"I'm sorry for waking you," She said softly as Tieria opened his eyes, "But the doctor is here."

Tieria nodded and sat up. His stomachache had subsided a bit but the nausea hadn't. He put his glasses on as a familiar young woman walked into the room.

"Ah," She gasped, "You're that boy from the mall the other day. How is your side feeling?"

"It doesn't hurt as much," Tieria said, "Thank you for asking."

"You're welcome," She said, "I'm just going to take your temperature and blood pressure." She took a thermometer out of her coat pocket and placed it Tieria's mouth, "It sounds like you've been pretty sick." Tieria shrugged, "Yeah, you've got quite a fever, thirty-nine point five. Did you get caught out in that rain storm the other day?"

"Yeah," Tieria said as the woman started taking his blood pressure.

"And let me guess and say that you didn't dry off properly," She said and Tieria sighed, "I'll take that as a yes. Well it seems as though your pulse is where it should be. Sit tight for a minute." The woman walked from the room.

About a minute later the woman walked back in to the room accompanied by a man probably in his mid-thirties.

"Ah you must be Tieria Erde," He said, "That's quite an interesting name you've got there. You're definitely not from around here are you?" Tieria shook his head, "I didn't think so. So, they told me that you were having some stomach problems and a bad cough along with a pretty high fever. So what's been bothering you?"

"I told them it was just a cold," Tieria said as he coughed a bit.

The man nodded, "It is better to be safe than sorry," He said as he took a stethoscope, "I just want to take a listen to your lungs…that cough does sound bad but your lungs are clear. There's a slight bit of wheezing though, do you have some sort of history of asthma?"

"I had it for a while about a year ago," Tieria said, "But I had pneumonia a few weeks ago."

The man nodded, "It's nothing major though," He said, "It'll probably go away once the cough breaks up. Now about the stomach problems they told me about, what's up with it?"

"It's nothing," Tieria said, "I just have a sensitive stomach and I ate something that didn't agree with me that's all."

The man nodded, "Well, I think I'm done here," He said, "My ruling is it's just a cold, take it easy for a few more days and you'll probably be fine. However, I will want to see you again if that cough persists for more than two weeks or if you start to have breathing problems."

Tieria nodded, "Thank you sir," He said as the man walked from the room.

"Take care Erde-kun,"

"You too Sasaki-san," Tieria called as loud as his hoarse voice would.

As the nurse left Linda walked in, "How are you feeling, Tieria-kun?" she asked, "Is your stomach still bothering you?"

"I'm still nauseous," Tieria said, "But the stomachache is gone."

"Here," Linda said as she handed him a small bowl, "Try this for the nausea."

"Rice?" Tieria asked.

"I read that cooked rice can be used to settle an upset stomach," Linda said, "Just try it."

Tieria nodded and took a small bite. He wanted to take it easy. He knew that his stomach was so weak that if he didn't take it slow he would end up sick again. He sighed and smirked a bit as he remembered what Lockon's reaction had been when he found out about Tieria's weak stomach.

"_What do you mean, you have a weak stomach!?" _Lockon's voice resonated in his head, _"What kind of a pilot are you!?"_

"Is something wrong, Tieria-kun," Linda asked.

"It's nothing," Tieria said, "I was just remembering something."

"Okay," Linda said, "Let me know when you finish with that." Linda sighed as she sat down next to the boy's bed. She always viewed Tieria as an adopted son she had been that way about all of the Meisters. But she had known Tieria far longer than she had the other three. And ever since the events following Fallen Angels she had felt more of a need to care for the boy. Due to Tieria's severe intolerance to pain relievers and local anesthesia they had to resort to using less conventional methods to deal with the critical injuries the young pilot had sustained. At the time Sumeragi had been listed as Tieria's decision maker, however, Sumeragi had also flat out refused to consent to the procedure. So Linda offered to take the boy into her care and become his decision maker in order to save his life.

"Linda," Tieria said softly, "I'm finished."

She nodded then handed him a glass of water, "Here," She said, "You need to keep yourself hydrated."

"Thank you," Tieria said.

"Do you need anything else?" She asked as she took the empty glass from Tieria.

Tieria shook his head, "I'm going to try to get some sleep," he said, "I'm really tired."

"The doctor said that your fever is breaking so you should be feeling better by tomorrow," Linda said as she helped tuck the boy in, "Sleep well."

Tieria nodded then slipped into a very deep and restful sleep.

* * *

Poor Tieria, he just wanted a quite day at home and what he got was the opposite. He got a day with several surprise visitors, a violent nightmare and a stomachache. But the good thing is his fever is breaking and should be down by the middle of the next chapter (I don't know whether I want him to sleep through until morning or wake up one last time for the evening). But anyway…if there are a crap load of typos everywhere, I sincerely apologize, thinking clearly with a fever isn't easy (I've had a fever for three of the four days I wrote this so it may have a lot of mistakes). So let me know if you spot any and I'll fix them right away. Until next time Minna-san!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	15. Resting, Or Trying to Anyway

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back and I'm not sick this time! I've been working on this chapter for a while and I finally finished it. I don't have much to say about this chapter. So skip the disclaimer, keep cool (if you live somewhere warm…the region I live in is in the middle of a record heat wave) and enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or its characters but Veda's letting me borrow them for a bit.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Resting…Or Trying to Anyway

Tieria wasn't sure how much time had passed since he had fallen asleep when he woke to a cold hand on his forehead. He opened his eyes and instead of a blurry pink hair figure standing in front of him there was a blurry blond haired figure standing in front of his bed.

"Linda..." Tieria whispered.

"Oh, you're awake," Linda said softly, "Do you need anything?"

Tieria shook his head, "Where's Feldt...?"

"She's with Sumeragi and Mileina tonight," Linda said, "Mileina wanted to spend the night here, but you're just too ill to deal with a sleep-over tonight. So we compromised, Feldt would spend the night with them and then when you're feeling better she would have a sleep-over here." Tieria nodded as Linda placed her hand on the boy's warm forehead, "Sumeragi wanted me to spend the night here anyway. She's worried about you. Do you need anything?"

Tieria shook his head, "It's so hot..." he moaned.

"Your temperature has gotten quite high," Linda said as she placed a cold compress on Tieria's forehead, "But the doctor said that your fever is breaking so you should be feeling better tomorrow."

"Can you do something about the heat...?" Tieria asked, "It's so hot...Linda...I don't feel well..."

Linda smiled a bit. As mature as Tieria acted, he was still a child. And as much as he tried to keep his child-like side from everyone, there were times when he just couldn't hide his immaturity. "Here," She said as she helped Tieria sit up and pushed a mug into his hands, "Drink this. It will help with the cough and it will help you sleep. It's a mild chamomile tea so it shouldn't upset your stomach."

Tieria nodded and took a sip. With each sip he took he grew increasingly drowsy. Then with one-fourth of the tea left, the mug slipped out of his unresponsive hands.

"Okay," Linda said as she prevented the warm tea from burning Tieria, "I think it's time for you to get some sleep." She eased the boy against the bed, "Get some sleep Tieria, you'll feel better in the morning." She then pulled the covers up to Tieria's shoulders and replaced the cold compress.

Tieria shut his eyes and immediately fell in to a very deep sleep.

* * *

"_Tieria! Oi Tieria! Hey sleepy head, wake up!"_

_Tieria opened his eyes and saw Neil standing in front of him, "Neil," He said._

"_Hey kid," Neil said as he placed his hand on Tieria's shoulder, "How are you doing?"_

"_Alright I guess," He said as he sat down. Even in his unconscious he was still feeling rather ill. _

"_Well aside from being sick you seem to be doing better," Neil said, "I mean you're sleeping and eating well again. See all you needed was a little break."_

"_Yeah, I guess," Tieria said._

"_Ugh, you're so stubborn," Neil said, "Why can't you just admit that you needed a break?"_

_Tieria smiled then yawned. He knew that he was asleep, but he was still exhausted._

"_Hey, I'm gonna get going," Neil said, "You're getting tired. Hey kid, happy birthday."_

"_Ian gave me your old music player," Tieria said as Neil started to fade as he started slipping into a deeper stage of unconsciousness._

"_I know," Neil said, "Use it well."_

"_I will," Tieria said as he shut his eyes and slipped into a deeper stage of unconsciousness._

* * *

The phone rang as Linda was making a light breakfast for herself. She had a feeling that Tieria wasn't going to wake in time.

"Hello," Linda answered.

"_Linda," _Sumeragi said, _"How is Tieria feeling this morning?"_

"He hasn't woken up yet," Linda said, "But his fever seems to be down and he's sleeping soundly."

"_Good his fever's down," _Sumeragi said, _"Did he cough a lot last night?"_

"Not really," Linda said, "He did cough for a bit but then he was quiet for the rest of the night."

"_Alright," _Sumeragi said, "_Will you call me when he wakes up?"_

"Yes, Sumeragi," Linda said.

"_Alright," _Sumeragi said, _"I'll let you go then. Talk to you later."_

"Talk to you later," Linda said as she hung up the phone. She sighed. She could tell that Sumeragi was very worried about Tieria. But she didn't blame Sumeragi one bit, Tieria didn't get sick often and when he did get sick it usually hit him hard. She quickly checked on Tieria, then went back to making her breakfast.

* * *

Tieria woke up slowly. He was feeling much better, but he was still tired. When he finally opened his eyes he slowly sat up. Based on the amount of light that was in his room he figured that it must have been nearly eleven in the morning. He took his glasses and thermometer off the table near his bed and checked his temperature. He had a feeling that he was no longer running a fever but he wanted to check, just to be safe. When it beeped he found that his temperature was indeed down to normal. He stood up and went to go change into something comfortable.

Linda was about to start making lunch when Tieria walked into the room.

"Good morning Tieria," She greeted, "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm still really tired," He said as he sat down on the couch, "But I'm feeling better."

Linda walked up to the boy and placed her hand on his forehead, "You're nice and cool today," She said, "Your fever must be down."

"It is," Tieria said, "It's registering thirty-six point seven."

"Good," Linda said, "Are you hungry?"

Tieria nodded, "I'll just have something light," He said, "My appetite still hasn't fully returned yet and I want to take it easy."

"I don't blame you," Linda said, "You're probably sick of soup so I'll make you a sandwich."

"That sounds good," Tieria said as he picked up one of the books he had gotten the day before, "I'm sorry about the mess I made yesterday."

"Don't worry about it Tieria," Linda said, "Things like that happen. You weren't at all well yesterday and you had no control over what happened."

Tieria nodded and turned towards his book. After a few minutes his communicator went off. He put his book down and answered it.

"_Oh good, you're awake," _Sumeragi said, _"I was worried about you. How are you feeling today, you look a lot better than you did yesterday?"_

"I'm just tired today," Tieria said, "My fever is finally down."

"_How's your cough?" _Sumeragi asked.

"I still have it," Tieria said as he coughed a bit, "But it's probably going to linger a bit."

"_Okay," _Sumeragi said, _"Are you feeling well enough to have visitors?"_

"I guess," Tieria said. He wanted to have just a peaceful day but with Sumeragi and Mileina around that probably wasn't going to happen.

"_Alright," _Sumeragi said, _"We'll be there in a little while."_

Tieria sighed as the call ended and went back to his book.

"Is something wrong Tieria?" Linda asked.

"It's nothing," Tieria said as Linda handed him a tray with a sandwich and a cup of tea on it, "Thank you."

"Don't push yourself," Linda said, "If you're not feeling well enough to have visitors then I'll call Sumeragi and tell her."

"No, it's alright," Tieria said, "Mileina wants to see me and I don't want to disappoint her."

"I know my daughter wants to see you," Linda said, "But you're just getting over being sick and you still need to rest. If you push yourself your fever might come back and then you won't sleep well again tonight." Tieria sighed as he finished his sandwich, "She's not going to get upset if you say that you're not feeling up to having guests. I'm sure she'll understand that you're still feeling ill and that you just want to rest today."

Tieria sighed. He now had a difficult decision to make. He could tell Sumeragi that he wasn't feeling well enough to have guests and that he wanted a quiet day to rest. But if he did that he would disappoint Mileina. He could also allow the girl to visit but he wouldn't be able to get the rest that his still weakened body still needed and there was a possibility that he would end up sick again.

"What do you want to do Tieria?" Linda asked.

"They can come over," Tieria said as he rested his head against the arm rest, "I'm going to take a short nap. I'm rather tired."

Linda sighed. She knew that Tieria wasn't feeling up to having visitors but he was going to push himself so he didn't disappoint Mileina. All she could do was hope that he didn't start feeling sick later on.

* * *

About half an hour later there was a knock at the door. Linda opened the door and was met by Sumeragi, Feldt, and Mileina.

"I'm going to ask you to be quiet," Linda said, "Tieria's taking a nap right now and I don't want him to wake up yet."

"Is he alright?" Sumeragi asked.

"He's still exhausted," Linda said, "Let him rest for a while. Don't worry, he's not feverish."

"That's good," Sumeragi said as she gently laid her hand on Tieria's forehead, "Yeah, he's cool."

* * *

Tieria wasn't sure how long he had been asleep for when he woke to Mileina laughing for some reason. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Erde-san!" Mileina cried as she hugged him.

"Hello Mileina," Tieria said tiredly.

"You're not warm today," She said, "Are you feeling better?"

"A little bit," Tieria said softly, "Mileina, can you please let me go?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mileina said as she got off of the purple-haired Meister, "Is that better?"

"Yeah," Tieria said as he put on his glasses.

"Have you eaten anything today?" Sumeragi asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said as he picked up the book on the table, "But I'm still not very hungry today."

"Ooh whatcha reading?" Mileina asked as she sat next to Tieria.

"_The Shining,_" Tieria said, "By Stephen King. It's a horror novel."

"Oh," Mileina said, "What's it about?"

"A haunted hotel," Tieria said.

"Can you read it to me?" Mileina said.

Tieria sighed, "Mileina," he said, "I'm still not feeling the best. I have a headache and my throat still hurts when I talk, maybe some other time."

"Oh," Mileina said, "Okay." She was quiet for a few minutes, "Is it a good book?"

"Yes Mileina it's a good book," Tieria said. He was starting to get annoyed with the young girl.

"Do you like it so far?" She asked.

Tieria sighed and took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. He was trying to keep his patients but it wasn't going so well.

"Mileina," Linda said noticing the look of annoyance on Tieria's face, "We should probably get going soon."

"Aw why?" Mileina whined.

"Mileina," Linda said, "I'm sure Tieria-kun is still very tired and would like to get some rest."

"But he is resting," Mileina said, "He's lying down on the couch and everything!"

"Mileina," Linda said in a stern voice that Tieria had never heard before, "Tieria-kun is still not feeling very well. We are going to be leaving in five minutes."

"Can I sleepover?" Mileina asked.

"Not tonight," Linda said, "Tieria-kun's still not feeling one hundred percent yet. He may not have a fever but he still needs another really good night sleep before he can do a sleepover."

Mileina sighed and for one agonizing minute Tieria thought that Mileina was going to cry but thankfully she didn't. "I understand," She said, "I'm sorry for being such a pest Erde-san."

"It's alright," Tieria said, "If I'm feeling better, we can go shopping tomorrow."

"Really?" Mileina asked excitedly, "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow Tieria!"

"See you tomorrow," Tieria said tiredly.

"Tieria," Sumeragi said, "If you start feeling sick again, please call me and I'll come right over."

Tieria nodded, "I'll see you tomorrow," He called. He then sighed in relief as they left then went back to his book.

"Tieria," Feldt said, "You look so much better today."

"I feel somewhat better," Tieria said, "I'm still exhausted. How long were you here before I woke up?"

"About two hours," Feldt said, "Sumeragi was kind of worried but you weren't running a fever. Are you hungry?"

Tieria shook his head he wasn't at all hungry. "I had lunch not too long before you got here," he said.

Feldt nodded as Tieria stood up, "Where are you going?" She asked.

"My room," Tieria said, "I want to lie down for a while."

"Okay," Feldt said, "Call me if you need anything."

"I will," Tieria said as he went back to his room. He returned to his bed where he could finally get the rest he needed.

* * *

Poor Tieria all he wanted to do was to read but Mileina kept bugging him but at least he's feeling better. And Neil visited Tieria to wish him a happy "birthday" how cute. I don't have much to say aside from I don't own _The Shining _either. Keep cool! Until next time minna-san!

_Ex-shark-V-005_


	16. Tiring Messages

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back! Sorry it took me so long to update but I've been playing through several it's-gonna-take-you-at-least-seventy-hours-to-beat-this RPGs so I haven't been writing as much. But whatever, you don't really want to hear about my personal life, you just want to get to the new chapter so enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or its characters but Veda's letting me borrow them for a bit.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: Tiring Messages

Tieria didn't realize that he had fallen asleep until he woke up to Feldt placing her hand on his forehead.

"I'm sorry," She said softly, "I really didn't mean to wake you. I wanted to make sure that you were alright."

"I'm not feeling sick," Tieria said, "I'm just really tired."

"That's understandable," Feldt said, "Are you hungry, you need to regain your strength?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "A little bit."

"Saji-san brought over some miso soup and tempura while you were asleep," Feldt said, "Do you want some?"

"Sure," Tieria said as he got out of bed, "I'll have some." He followed Feldt into the small kitchen, "I really disappointed Mileina today, didn't I?"

"I don't think you did," Feldt said.

"But she looked really upset when Linda told her that it was time to go," Tieria said.

"She hasn't seen you in a while and I think she likes you a little bit," Feldt said as she placed a bowl of miso in front of Tieria, "I mean yesterday she kept asking me questions about how you were doing and what it was like spending time with you."

"I see," Tieria said as he coughed a bit.

"So do you really want to go shopping tomorrow?" Feldt asked.

"Yeah, we weren't able to finish what we had to do the other day," Tieria said, "We had to return early because I was ill."

"That's true," Feldt said, "But are you sure you'll be up to it? You've slept a lot today, what happens if you don't sleep well tonight?"

"I'll see how I feel tomorrow," Tieria said as he turned to his food. He still wasn't all that hungry but he did have more of an appetite today than he had had in the past few days, "Did Sumeragi and the others come here because they knew I was sick or was it because of my birthday?"

"They planned on coming here for your birthday," Feldt said, "But when Sumeragi found out that you were sick she extended their trip a little bit."

"I see," Tieria said, "So I take it you were in on it."

"Yeah I was," Feldt said, "I'm sorry if it annoyed you at all."

"It's alright," Tieria said, "I know how Sumeragi gets." He then finished the miso and stood up, "I'm all set."

"Alright," Feldt said. She frowned a bit. Tieria still wasn't eating all that much. He was eating more that he had been but Feldt knew that he still wasn't eating as much as he used to.

"Feldt," Tieria asked, "What's wrong, you look upset?"

"It's nothing," She said, "Is this all you're going to eat?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "Is that the reason why you look upset?"

Feldt gasped and nodded, "You aren't eating as much as you used to," She said, "Sumeragi's noticed that as well. I mean your appetite has been decreased due to the fever you had but even before you got sick you weren't eating all that much."

Tieria sighed, "Don't worry about it too much," he said, "Due to the circumstances I've been in, I haven't eaten what I normally do in a while. Give me some time and I promise eventually, I go back to eating the usual amount."

"I'll take your word on that," Feldt said as Tieria headed for his room, "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Tieria responded, "I might try to put some of the CDs that Linda gave me on Lockon's old music player."

"Okay," Feldt said.

Tieria walked into his room and picked up the small device that was sitting on the desk. He turned it on and found that there was still some of Lockon's music on it. He smiled sadly. He remembered how much he used to hate having to listen to whatever Lockon was listening to because the oldest Meister listened to his music too loud. He hated the music that Lockon would listen to anyway, it was too loud for his liking. And yet he didn't want to delete any of the music on it. He decided that he would leave the music on as a tribute to the fallen Meister.

As he was looking through the files on the device there was one titled "Tieria." Curiosity got the better of him so he put the headphones on and played the file.

"_Haro, is it recording?" _Lockon's voice came.

"_It is! It is!" _

"_Alright," _Lockon said, _"Hey kid, odds are if you're hearing this, I'm no longer alive. And knowing you, you're probably blaming yourself for my death. I just want you to know that you had nothing to do with my death, whatever way I had been killed. I blocked you from that GN-X unit's beam saber because I knew that if it had hit you, you would have been killed. I know I lost my eye but that's a small price to pay for your life." _Tieria bit his lip as he tried to hold back the tears as Lockon continued, _"I want you to keep on living, without me and without Veda. It may be difficult for you to do, but I know that you can be strong and do it. I know this is probably hard for you to hear but in time it will make you a stronger human being, I know it. Death is hard to deal with trust me, I lost my parents and little sister Amy ten years ago. It's painful as all hell at first but it gets easier with time. I know my death will impact you in some way but I know you'll recover from it._

"_I want you to take my place as the sort of unofficial leader of the Meisters. You're making a lot of progress from how you were when we first met and I think that you'll be perfect to lead the next group of Meisters to a better future, as long as you don't go back to the way you were when I first met you that is. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, Tieria, making mistakes is a part of being human. We humans learn from our mistakes, I'll have you know. Please, try to get along with Setsuna, he's young and kinda reckless and I know how you get around him. So please get over your differences and get along with him, I can't be there to referee if the two of you decide to pull guns on each other like you did that one time."_

"_The door's open! The door's open!" _Haro chirped.

"_Alright buddy," _Lockon said, _"Tieria, I know you rewrote the lock code to keep me in my room but I'm sorry, I need to fight. I'll let you know, you did a damn good job trying to keep me in here, it took Haro nearly twenty minutes to break your code. I know you wanted to protect me the way I protected you but you never know what could have happened. Before I let you go I want you to know that I left an envelope of photographs in one of your favorite books, I just hope that the Ptolemy didn't get destroyed so you can see them. Take care of yourself Tieria. Create the better future we're all working towards and keep trying to become human. Don't let my death hinder your future, you have a lot to live for, you just don't see it yet. Keep this file around in case you get lonely and need to hear my voice again. Farewell, Lockon Stratos."_

The track then ended and Tieria put his head on his arms and cried.

"Tieria!" Feldt cried as she entered the room, "What's wrong?"

Tieria didn't answer he removed the headphones then handed the small device to the pink haired girl.

Feldt took the music player and listened to the recording. She sighed when it was over. She couldn't imagine the pain that Tieria was going through after listening to the recording. She wrapped her arms around Tieria and hugged him. She knew that it had been hard for him to listen to.

"It's alright Tieria," She said softly.

"I'm sorry," Tieria said as he removed his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes, "I didn't mean to worry you."

"It's alright," Feldt said, "I was just a little startled when I heard you crying."

"It was hard to hear that," He said as he replaced his glasses.

"I know it was," Feldt said, "And it didn't really help that you're still exhausted from being sick. Things are always more emotional when you're tired."

Tieria nodded. He had slept so much that day but he was still exhausted.

"Are you going to be alright?" Feldt asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said as he checked his watch. It wasn't even nine yet and he couldn't keep his eyes open, "I'm going to take a shower then get ready for bed. I just can't stay awake any longer."

"Alright," Feldt said, "Sleep well."

* * *

Setsuna found himself standing at the door of the apartment that Celestial Being owned for the third time that week. And this time he wasn't there to lie low or to deliver a gift, he was there to see if Tieria was feeling any better. The last two times he had been here, the purple-haired Meister had been rather ill and it had worried him.

He quietly entered the room that Tieria was using and unlike the first time, Tieria was sleeping soundly. /Good/ Setsuna thought, /He looks well again./ He carefully placed his hand on the sleeping Meister's forehead, /His fever's gone as well./

"Setsuna," Tieria muttered tiredly as he opened his garnet eyes, "Why are you here again?"

"I was worried about you," Setsuna said softly, "The last two times I saw you, you were running a rather high fever. I couldn't leave this area until I knew that you were well again."

Tieria nodded, "I'm still not feeling the best," He said softly, "But I'm starting to feel better."

"That's good," Setsuna said, "You should rest some more. I'll be leaving now."

"Wait," Tieria said as he sat up a bit, "The book that we couldn't figure out who gave it to me, it was from you wasn't it?"

Setsuna turned from the door, "Yeah," He said, "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," Tieria said, "Setsuna, I'm sorry about the way I treated you two years ago."

Setsuna's eyes widened. Tieria was extremely proud and at times rather arrogant. He was also not the type who would admit that he was wrong then apologize for his mistake. "What is this all about?" he asked.

"I was given Lockon's old music player," Tieria said, "And he had left me a message on it."

"I see," Setsuna said, "You should get some more rest. You were sick and you need to regain your strength. Sleep well Tieria Erde, take care of yourself."

"Thank you Setsuna," Tieria said as he rested against the pillows and shut his eyes.

Setsuna was about to leave when he heard a door open behind him, "Feldt Grace," He called.

"Setsuna," Feldt said, "What are you doing here again?"

"I wanted to make sure I knew that Tieria Erde was well again before I left this area," Setsuna said, "It really worried me when I discovered that he was running a high fever. He hardly ever fell ill when we were conducting the armed interventions, even if the rest of us were ill he would stay healthy."

"I know," Feldt said, "Sumeragi even came here to make sure that he was alright. We were all worried that it was something worse than a cold. He recovered from pneumonia and a punctured lung not too long before he fell ill."

Setsuna nodded, "Keep taking care of Tieria," Setsuna said, "We need him to rebuild Celestial Being."

"I will," Feldt said, "Thank you Setsuna."

Setsuna nodded then left the room as Feldt went to go back to bed.

* * *

Tieria woke up rather late the next day. Not quite as late as he had woken the day before but still later than he normally woke. He wasn't feeling as tired as he had been but his energy wasn't as high as usual. He then got out of bed to start his day.

Feldt was sitting at the table when he walked into the main room.

"Ah, Tieria," She said, "Good morning. How are you feeling today?"

"Better," Tieria said, "I'm still a little bit more fatigued than usual."

"Do you still want to go shopping today?" Feldt asked as she set a small plate of eggs in front of Tieria.

"Yeah," Tieria said.

Feldt sighed as she looked at Tieria. He was still slightly wan and there were still dark circles under his eyes. /He didn't sleep well last night/ She thought. "You still look really tired," She said, "Did you sleep alright?"

"Yeah," Tieria lied. After Setsuna woke him he had had a difficult time falling back to sleep. He had been awake for at least another hour and a half before he had fallen back to sleep then he kept waking up after that.

"Alright," Feldt said, "I'm going to go call Sumeragi."

Tieria sighed as he finished his breakfast. He knew that it was going to be a tiring day and he wasn't exactly up to a tiring day.

Feldt sighed as she took out her communicator, "Sumeragi," She called.

"_Feldt," _Sumeragi said, _"Good morning. How are things today?"_

"Pretty good," Feldt said, "Tieria's still pushing himself though. He still seems rather tired."

"_Does he still want to go shopping?" _Sumeragi asked.

"Yeah," Feldt said.

"_Alright,"_ Sumeragi said, _"We'll be there in a little bit."_

"I'll let Tieria know," Feldt said. She walked back into the kitchen and sighed, Tieria had put his head down on the table, "Tieria," She said as he looked up, "Sumeragi is going to be here soon."

"Alright," Tieria said as he rubbed his eyes.

"Are you sure you still want to go shopping?" Feldt asked, "You still look exhausted. Did you not sleep well again?"

"Setsuna was here again last night," Tieria said, "He woke me up by accident then I couldn't get back to sleep afterwards."

"If you're still tired you really should rest more," Feldt said, "You're body is probably still weak from being sick and there's a chance that even though you've been without a fever for the past day or so, it can still come back if you overwork yourself."

"I'll be alright," Tieria said.

Feldt nodded and started to clean the dishes that had been left from breakfast, "Oh Tieria," Feldt said, "What do you want to do about Christmas? Are you up to celebrating this year? I know last year you didn't want to so, what do you want to do?"

"If you want to celebrate I guess we could do that," Tieria said.

"Are you sure?" Feldt asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I mean I don't care one way or another but if you want to, we can."

"Thanks," Feldt said, "We don't have to go all out. I mean we're only here for a few more weeks."

"We could do that," Tieria said, "I'm not quite sure what Japanese traditions are when it comes to celebrating Christmas but I'm sure I can look it up."

"Alright," Feldt said, "Sumeragi and the others should be getting here shortly. Where are you going?"

"Just to shut my eyes for a bit," Tieria said, "Wake me up when they get here."

"I will." Feldt sighed. She knew that Tieria was really pushing himself. Tieria hardly got sick so when he did get sick it took him a while to completely recover from the illness. She knew that the fatigue that Tieria was experiencing was going to last for another three to four days at least. She sighed as she sat down on the couch for some reason she was feeling kind of tired.

* * *

Uh-oh, my very close friend cliffy is back! You all know what that means…well aside from me being a cruel person…you know what that might mean. Man, poor T-chan just can't catch a break (but then again it's me so I'm not gonna let him catch a break…) He just started to accept Lockon's death and he hears that. Then Setsuna wakes him up in the middle of the night for a third time in about five chapters or so but I'm sorry to say that that was probably Se-chan's last appearance in this story. Well, until next time, Ja ne minna-san!

_Ex-shark-V-005_


	17. Subtle Memories

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back! Sorry it took me so long to update but I've been playing through several it's-gonna-take-you-at-least-seventy-hours-to-beat-this RPGs so I haven't been writing as much. But whatever, you don't really want to hear about my personal life, you just want to get to the new chapter so enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or its characters but Veda's letting me borrow them for a bit.

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: Subtle Memories

Feldt was both glad and almost worried when she found that Tieria wasn't asleep when she entered his room after Sumeragi, Linda, Ian and Mileina arrived.

"The others are here Tieria," Feldt said, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Tieria responded as he stood up, "We shouldn't keep them waiting."

"Are you feeling alright?" Feldt asked.

"I'm fine," Tieria said, "I'm still just a bit tired."

"Okay," Feldt said as she followed Tieria out of the room. Feldt wasn't sure if she was imagining it or not but she could have sworn that she heard Tieria almost panting for breath a bit. /Must be my imagination/ She thought.

"Ah, good morning Tieria," Sumeragi greeted, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm still a bit tired," Tieria said, "But other than that I can't really complain."

"I'm glad," Sumeragi said, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," Tieria said as he headed for the small foyer area.

"Okay," Sumeragi said, "Feldt, are you coming?"

"Hold on a second," Feldt called as she grabbed something out of her suitcase and put it in her pocket. /It's been a while since he's needed to use this…but I've got a bad feeling he's going to need it again…/ She thought. "Sorry," She called, "I was looking for something."

"That's fine," Sumeragi said as they left the apartment.

"How are we getting to the shopping center?" Feldt asked.

"Ian and I rented two cars for today," Sumeragi said, "Tieria, do you still get car sick?"

"I'm not sure," Tieria said, "The bus ride the other day didn't bother me but I had my eyes closed the entire time."

"We'll let you sit in the front just in case," Sumeragi said, "We don't need a repeat of the other day in a rental car."

Tieria sighed. He was not going to be able to live down what had happened the first time they found out he was car sick. They had been on a small team building trip when the other members of Celestial Being discovered that he got car sick. "I'll be alright," he said.

"Okay," Sumeragi said as she opened the door to one of the cars, "Linda are you going to drive this one?"

"Yes," Linda said.

"Alright," Sumeragi said.

"I wanna go with Erde-san!" Mileina called as she got in the same car as Tieria, "Come on Feldt-chan!"

"H-Hai," Feldt said as the younger girl pushed her into the car.

"Alright," Sumeragi said, "I'll go with Ian then."

* * *

Tieria had a feeling that it was going to be an almost annoying trip. Mileina was bombarding him with questions and his stomach was rather uneasy.

"Ne, Erde-san," Mileina said, "How's the book you were reading?"

"It's good so far," Tieria said.

"That's good," Mileina said, "You said it was a horror novel. Is it scary?"

"I wouldn't say it's scary," Tieria said. He really didn't want to talk, he didn't trust his stomach at all. "But it's creepy so far."

"How so?"

"Mileina," Linda said, "Stop bothering Tieria-kun."

"Okay," Mileina said.

"Tieria-kun," Linda said. She had noticed that the boy's face was slightly wan and he had his hand to his stomach, "Are you alright?"

Tieria nodded, "I'm feeling a bit sick," He said, "But it's from the car ride."

"Okay," Linda said, "Let me know if you think you're going to be sick."

Tieria nodded again and shut his eye hoping that it would help to wan the nausea slightly. He was rather relieved when they made it to the shopping mall. Once the car stopped and he was able to get outside for a bit he instantly felt better.

"How are you doing?" Linda asked.

"Much better," Tieria said, "It was just car sickness."

"That's good," Linda said as she walked up to Sumeragi, "Shall we do lunch first?"

"I want to wait a bit," Tieria said.

"So you did get a bit car sick," Sumeragi said.

"Yeah," Tieria said, "But I'm fine now."

"That's good," Sumeragi said, "That jacket looks good on you. Did you pick it out yourself?"

"Yeah," Tieria said.

"It really suits you," Sumeragi said.

"Thank you."

* * *

After a quick lunch Tieria found himself aimlessly wandering around a department store. Mileina was off trying on clothes and Feldt had gone to the restroom so he kind of wandered throughout the store. He walked to the center of the store where he found a baby grand piano.

"Excuse me," He asked the woman standing near the instrument, "Would it be alright if I played the piano for a bit?"

"I don't see why not," The woman responded, "But if you try anything funny, I will have to ask you to stop."

"I can assure you, that won't happen," Tieria said as he removed his gloves, sat down on the bench and opened the cover.

* * *

When Feldt left the woman's restroom she was surprised to hear a piano playing. She had seen the piano when they walked in but she didn't think that they usually had someone playing it at this time of day. She looked over at the piano and was even more surprised to see the person playing it. She then hurried off to find the others.

"Sumeragi!" Feldt called. She had heard Mileina and her mother discussing the piano and that the person playing it must be extremely talented, "It's Tieria!"

A feeling of dread washed over Sumeragi as she began to fear the worst, "What's wrong?" She asked, "Where is he?"

"Follow me," Feldt called, "Hurry!" She led Sumeragi, Linda, Mileina and Ian over to the center of the store.

* * *

Sumeragi gasped when she caught a glimpse of who was playing the piano, "Tieria…" She muttered. She had no idea that the Meister could play piano, never mind be this good at it. She watched in awe as Tieria's pale hands delicately skated over the black and white keys with a sense of grace and precision that she could only expect from the boy. She sighed. Tieria's face displayed a calm look that she had never seen from him before as he gently rocked back and forth in time with the music. /He looks like he's enjoying himself…I haven't seen him get like this in a long time…since before Lockon died…/

"How old is that child?" A woman asked as a small crowd of people began gathering around the piano.

"He can't be any other than sixteen!"

"He must be a music student…I wish my son would take up piano…"

"He's playing Beethoven isn't he? His _Moonlight Sonata_ I believe."

When Tieria finished the piece he was caught off guard by the applause that followed. He had been so focused and engrossed in the music that he hadn't noticed the crowd that he had attracted. He stood up and bowed a bit.

"Tieria," Sumeragi said still shocked at the boy's display, "You never told us that you could play piano."

"You never asked," Tieria said as he closed the piano's cover. He walked up to the store employee, "Thank you for allowing me to play the piano." He said with a slight bow.

"No," The woman said, "Thank you for giving us such a wonderful performance."

"It wasn't that good," Tieria said as he blushed a bit.

"How old are you?" The woman asked.

"I just turned eighteen," Tieria said.

"So that would make you a second year in high school?" The woman asked.

"I'm ahead a year," Tieria said, "I'm a third year."

"Are you going to pursue music in college?" The woman asked.

"I'm planning to go into the military after high school," Tieria said, "But I may pursue music."

"I see," The woman said, "Take care of yourself. Don't let that wonderful talent you have go to waste."

"I will," Tieria said, "Have a nice day ma'am."

The woman looked at Linda, "You must be so proud of your son," she said, "That was quite something to listen to."

"Thank you," Linda said.

"I wish you all luck in the future," The woman said as she walked off.

"Erde-san that was so good!" Mileina exclaimed, "I didn't know you could play piano like that!"

"Thank you Mileina," Tieria said. He coughed a bit. He was feeling a bit short of breath and he didn't quite know why. He had a feeling that it was just due to the cold he was still recovering from and he made a mental note to inform Sumeragi or Linda if it got any worse.

"Tieria," Sumeragi said, "When did you learn to play piano like that?"

"There was a piano in one of the recreation rooms at Lagrange Three," He said, "I learned how to play there. One of the women there would give me lessons all the time before we started our work."

"You looked like you were having fun playing," Feldt said, "It's been a while since I've seen you that happy."

Tieria sighed and looked away, "I know," He said, "After Lockon died…I lost it…then Setsuna and Allelujah disappeared. It was hard to wake up to that news…after being unconscious for three months."

"It's alright," Sumeragi said as she put her arm around the boy, "We'll find Setsuna and Allelujah and we'll really start to rebuild. Even if it takes a few more years, we'll finish what we started."

Tieria smiled a bit. "I have a feeling that Setsuna and Allelujah are still alive," Tieria said, "And they'll find their way back someday."

Sumeragi nodded, "Just promise me you won't go off on anymore almost suicide search missions," She said, "You scared the hell out of me with your last one."

"I won't," Tieria said.

"Well come on," Sumeragi said, "We still have a few more stores to go to."

* * *

After about another hour at the mall the group made their way back to the apartment.

"Mama," Mileina said, "Can I sleepover the apartment tonight?"

Linda sighed and looked over at Tieria. They were in the car and the boy looked rather ill, "It depends on how Tieria-kun's feeling," Linda said, "He's still a bit tired from being sick. He doesn't get sick often so it takes him a while to completely recover. We'll discuss it when we get back to the apartment." She looked over at Tieria, "Are you alright Tieria-kun?"

Tieria nodded a bit, "Could I open the window?" He mumbled.

"Go right ahead," Linda said, "I'll turn down the heat a bit too." She had nearly forgotten about Tieria's poor tolerance to the heat and she had had the heat on rather high.

"Thank you."

"Mama," Mileina said, "Is Erde-san alright?"

"He get car sick," Linda said.

"Really?" Mileina asked, "That's really odd. He's not bothered at all when he's piloting a Gundam."

"It's different," Tieria muttered.

"Don't worry," Linda said, "We're almost there. Just close your eyes a bit, that may help."

Tieria nodded and shut his eyes.

* * *

"It took you long enough to get back here," Ian said as Linda, Mileina and Feldt got out of the car. Tieria was still trying to regain his bearings and was still sitting in the car, "You still haven't gotten over your carsickness have you Tieria?"

"Not yet," Tieria said as he finally felt well enough to stand.

"It's a good thing you don't get like this when you're piloting," Ian said, "Because I for one would not be the one cleaning the cockpit if you ever got sick."

"Being in a car is a lot different than being in a mobile suit," Tieria said.

"True," Ian said as he picked up a handful of snow, "Hey Tieria, happy late birthday." He threw the snowball at Tieria and hit him in the chest.

"Daddy," Mileina exclaimed as she picked up some snow to throw at her father, "Don't do that! Come on Erde-san let's get him back!"

"O-okay," Tieria said as he picked up a handful of snow and copied what Mileina was doing. He then threw the snowball at Ian, hitting him in the face.

"You're gonna pay of that one Tieria Erde!" Ian yelled as he ran towards the purple haired boy.

Tieria quickly made a snowball then ran off.

* * *

Sumeragi and Feldt watched as Ian, Tieria and Mileina ran around throwing snowballs at each other.

/Maybe I was just imagining things earlier/ Feldt thought, /Tieria seems to be fine/

"They look like their having fun," Sumeragi said, "I never thought I would see Tieria get into a snowball fight."

"Yeah," Feldt said, "He's been much more laidback lately. And while it's odd to see him so friendly, I kind of like it. He may have been cold in the past but he really does care about everyone."

"Let's just hope he stays this way," Sumeragi said, "It was aggravating when all he would do was talk down to people and lock himself in his room all the time."

"I don't think that will happen," Feldt said, "Lockon really helped change him for the better."

"I know," Sumeragi said.

* * *

"Come on Erde-san!" Mileina called as Tieria picked up another handful of snow, "He's gonna get us."

Tieria nodded as he stood up and started running a bit. However after just a few steps his breath caught up in his chest and he fell to his knees coughing violently.

"Erde-san!" Mileina cried, "What's wrong?"

"I…can't breathe…" Tieria gasped. He clutched his chest as pain stabbed through him as he struggled to breathe.

"You're having another attack aren't you?" Sumeragi asked as she ran over to the boy. After he recovered from the injuries he had sustained during Fallen Angels Tieria would suffer from violent asthma-like attacks. Tieria nodded, "Please tell me you brought your inhaler with you." Tieria shook his head as he continued to clutch his chest, "Ian call for an ambulance."

"Hold on," Feldt said as she hurried over to Tieria and handed him his inhaler, "I packed this with me just in case. I knew you were going to leave it behind but something told me to bring it with us." She handed the medication to Tieria and helped him take it.

"Do you still need me to call for an ambulance?" Ian asked.

"Hold off for a few minutes," Sumeragi said, "If his breathing doesn't improve in a few minutes then call."

Within minutes of taking the medication his breathing started to ease up and the stabbing pains in his chest subsided, "Thank you Feldt," He said as Ian and Sumeragi helped him stand.

"Are you alright?" Sumeragi asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said, "It wasn't a severe one."

"That's good," Sumeragi said, "You haven't had one of those in a while have you?" Tieria shook his head, "It was probably triggered by running around in the cold with a cold. You have to take it easy, your body isn't used to the cold or being sick.

"I'm guessing this means the sleepover is off?" Mileina asked.

"I think so," Linda said, "Tieria-kun has to take it easy for the rest of the day now. The medication makes him rather lethargic."

"It's alright with me," Tieria said the weakness in his limbs due to the medication was starting to set in, "I really don't mind. I'll probably be stuck lying on the couch for the rest of the day but Mileina can sleepover if she wants."

"Are you sure it's alright Tieria-kun?" Linda asked.

"It's fine," Tieria said as Sumeragi and Ian helped him walk to the apartment, "You're leaving tomorrow right? Mileina can stay here for the night. I won't be able to do much but I don't mind."

"Thank you Erde-san!" Mileina exclaimed.

"Mileina," Linda said, "I'll let you stay the night under one condition. You come with us for a few hours so Tieria-kun can rest a bit."

"Okay," Mileina said, "See you later Erde-san."

Sumeragi and Ian helped Tieria to his room. "Take it easy for the rest of the day," She said, "You know how you get after you take that medication. I don't want to get a phone call from Feldt saying that you fell and broke your arm or something. If you want to walk around have Feldt help you."

"Alright," Tieria said as he sat on his bed, "I'll see you in a few hours then?"

"Yeah," Sumeragi said, "Take it easy you hear me?"

"Yes," Tieria responded.

"Do you need me to help you with anything?" Feldt asked as Sumeragi and Ian left the room.

"There should be a pair of sweatpants in the second drawer," Tieria said as he struggled to point to the dresser, "Could you get them for me?"

"Sure," Feldt said, "Do you want the sweatshirt as well?"

"Yes please," Tieria said.

Feldt nodded as she brought the change of clothes to Tieria, "I'll let you get changed," Feldt said, "Call me when you're finished."

Tieria nodded slightly as the girl left the room. It took him a while to change his outfit. The only symptom of the medication he had taken was extreme muscle weakness and while it hadn't completely set in yet, moving was still difficult.

"Feldt," He called when he was finished.

"Are you all set?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I think I'm going to rest on the couch for the remainder of the day."

"Okay," Feldt said as she helped Tieria stand, "That sounds like a good idea. We don't want to have a repeat of what happened the last time. You fell and broke your arm the last time didn't you?"

"Yeah," Tieria said as he leaned against Feldt as she guided him to the living area.

"We wouldn't want that to happen again," Feldt said she eased Tieria against the couch, "Do you want your book?"

"Could you get the computer from my room?" Tieria asked, "There's something I want to look up."

"Okay," Feldt said, "Hold on a second."

"You said that you wanted to celebrate Christmas this year," Tieria said, "How do you want to celebrate it? We could celebrate Christmas the European way or the Japanese way. It really doesn't matter to me."

"We don't have to go all out," Feldt said as she handed the small plastic keyboard to Tieria, "We could do something simple we could just exchange gifts if you want to. I mean it will be just the two of us."

"We could do that," Tieria said, "I do want to get a little something for Saji. We'll be leaving a few days after the new year." He typed for a bit, "We could do a combination of western and eastern Christmas traditions. I'm finding that the Japanese like to celebrate Christmas with cake, we could do that as well."

"The last time you had cake you got sick to your stomach," Feldt said, "We don't have to do that, it would be a waste if we bought a whole cake just for me."

"The last time I had cake I was running a rather high fever," Tieria said, "I was already nauseous from the fever. I have a feeling that I would have thrown up regardless of what I ate. We could always see if Saji wants to join us."

"Okay," Feldt said, "So what do you have planned for tonight? I was really surprised when you said that Mileina could sleepover."

"Aside from the weakness and the cough I'm not feeling all that bad," Tieria said, "They are leaving tomorrow and I don't want to disappoint Mileina. I'm not sure what we could do, I mean there's not much I can do. There are several different trivia games we could rent through the television. As for supper, we could order a pizza if you want."

"Okay," Feldt said, "That sounds good. If that's the case then I should run to the store. Will you be alright by yourself for a little bit?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I'll be fine."

"Okay," Feldt said, "I'll be right back. Do you have any requests?"

"No," Tieria said, "Just get whatever."

"Okay," Feldt said, "I'll be back."

Tieria sighed as Feldt left the apartment. He put his headphones on and listened to the piece he had played earlier. It was one of his favorite pieces to listen to and it had taken him months to learn to play it properly. He remembered he would sit at the piano at Lagrange three for hours at a time just playing the same phrase over and over again. Due to complications caused by the injuries he had sustained during Fallen Angels there had been a four month period after he had woken from the coma he had been put in where he couldn't do any kind of physical training. So during that time if he wasn't working on a simulator to improve his piloting skills with both a Gundam and a battleship, he would spend hours at the piano.

/I could have played this better…/ He thought as he shut his eyes, /I'm out of practice…/

He enjoyed playing piano. It required the same level of concentration and coordination that piloting a Gundam required. He had a feeling that when his new Gundam was rolled out and they began their armed interventions again he would be able to pilot nearly as well if not better than he had done in the past despite having lost Veda's full support.

/Maybe I'll invest in a small electronic keyboard before we return to space/ He thought, /So I can practice when I return to the Ptolemaios/

* * *

So, Mileina will finally get to have a sleepover with Feldt and Tieria. Granted poor Tieria can't do much in the condition I left him in this time. And the former music major in me has once again shown her face. I could totally see Tieria playing piano and the piece I had him play suits him well too. It's Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata _(Which I don't own by the way) and it's a very beautiful, mysterious and subtle piece. So what's the little sleepover have in store for poor Tieria? Find out in the next chapter. Until next time minna-san! Ja ne!

Oh before I forget…If Tieria was really eighteen and was a high school student in Japan he would probably be in his second or third year of high school (eleventh or twelfth grade.)

_Ex-shark-V-005_


	18. Reassuring Support

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back after a bit of a break…I had a bit of writer's block with this chapter so it took a while. I don't have much to say about this chapter so after the disclaimer you can get started! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or its characters but Veda's letting me borrow them for a bit

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Eighteen: Reassuring Support

Tieria was resting on the couch when Mileina returned to the small apartment.

"Erde-san," Mileina said, "Mama wants to know how you're feeling."

"I'm alright," Tieria said. The muscle weakness had completely set in and moving even a little bit was a chore, "The medication is working well."

"That's good," Mileina said, "She also said that we shouldn't stay up late tonight."

"She's absolutely right," Tieria said, "We wouldn't want you to be tried tomorrow. You'll be heading back to the Ptolemaios."

"What are we going to be doing about dinner?" Mileina asked.

"If you want we can order a pizza," Tieria said.

"Really?" Mileina asked. It had been a while since she had had a good slice of pizza, "But I thought you didn't like pizza."

"I'll make an exception," Tieria said, "It's not like I would be able to do the cooking even if I _could_ cook."

"That's true," Mileina said, "We don't need you to break your arm again."

Tieria sighed. That was another thing he wasn't going to be able to live down. The last time he had to use the medication he had taken earlier in the day they had been on Krung Thep and he needed to get his communicator. He had attempted to get up and get the device himself but his legs had given out and he fell breaking his arm in the process. "You're not going to let me forget that are you?" He asked, "Feldt brought it up earlier so did Sumeragi."

"Well," Mileina said, "We were kinda worried when we found you unconscious on the floor in your room. We brought you to the medical bay thinking you were having a bad reaction to the medication just to find that you had fainted because you fell and broke your arm."

"It's not funny," Tieria said as Mileina giggled a bit, "Do you really think I liked having to wear my arm in a cast for eight weeks?" Sumeragi had not allowed for regenerative therapy when he broke his arm. He could understand the reasoning behind her decision but it was still rather annoying.

"I'm sorry," Mileina said, "I can't help it. You got so frustrated with the cast you broke it didn't you? You slammed it against a wall and it shattered. Sumeragi-san wasn't happy with you and because of it she made you wear the cast for two weeks longer than you had to."

"You mean I only had to wear that stupid thing for six weeks?" Tieria asked.

"Oops," Mileina said as she giggled nervously, "I wasn't supposed to tell you that…Sumeragi-san said that something like this would happen if you found out." She paused, "Hey where's Feldt-san?"

"She went to the store to pick a few things up," Tieria said, "I feel guilty having her go alone but I can't exactly move right now."

"How long does the medication last?" Mileina asked.

"About six to eight hours," Tieria responded, "By the time the effects wear off, we'll probably be getting ready for bed."

"Will you have to take it again?" Mileina asked.

"I hope not," Tieria said, "But I don't think I'll have to take it again."

"It's a good thing that Feldt-san packed your medication," Mileina said, "You would have been in trouble without it."

"Yeah," Tieria muttered listlessly.

"So what are we going to do tonight?" Mileina asked.

"I was thinking that we could order some trivia games through the television if you want," Tieria said, "We could play some board games as well. I can't really do much in my condition."

"That's true," Mileina said, "We wouldn't want you to get hurt again. Speaking of injuries, how is your side feeling?"

"It's alright," Tieria said, "The pain isn't constant anymore, but it will still hurt form time to time."

"That's good," Mileina said, "That's another thing mama and Sumeragi-san were worried about. They just want to make sure you're not in too much pain." There was a knock at the door, "I'll get it!" She cried as she ran to the door, "Ah Feldt-san welcome back!"

"Mileina," Feldt said, "When did you get here?"

"About ten minutes ago," Mileina said, "I've been keeping Erde-san company."

"Sorry it took so long Tieria," Feldt said as she placed the bags on the table, "I went to a few different stores."

"It's alright," Tieria said, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you."

"Don't worry about it," Feldt said, "You're in no condition to be up and about. I was fine by myself. Should we order the pizza now or closer to supper time?"

"Now would probably be best," Tieria said, "I'm sure it would take some time to get it delivered. We should try that place Saji-san suggested."

"Who's Saji-san?" Mileina asked.

"He's our neighbor for the time being," Feldt said, "He's helped us out quite a bit."

"That's nice of him," Mileina said, "It's good that you were able to find someone to help you two out. None of us really know what it's like to live on Earth."

"So, what should I get on the pizza?" Feldt asked trying to get off the awkward subject.

"Just cheese is fine with me," Tieria said, "You could get half with just cheese and half with whatever the two of you want."

"Okay," Feldt said, "I'm fine with just cheese as well. Do you have any special requests Mileina?"

"Not really," Mileina said, "I like pepperoni pizza but if you two just want cheese I'm fine with that as well."

"We should get half with just cheese and half with pepperoni," Tieria said.

"Should I get a large?" Feldt asked.

"Are we going to finish a large?" Tieria asked, "I would get a medium."

"Okay," Feldt said as she grabbed the phone to order the pizza.

"Do you need anything Erde-san?" Mileina asked.

"No, I'm fine for now," Tieria said as he started coughing a bit. He sighed. He was tired of coughing so much but he had yet to get over his cold completely and he knew that it would take a while for the cough to go away.

"Are you having another attack?" Mileina asked almost fearfully. Tieria's cough sounded bad and she was worried about him, "Is your breathing okay?"

"I'm not having another attack," Tieria said, "The cough still hasn't gone away. My breathing is fine, don't worry."

"That's good," Mileina said as she sighed in relief.

"It will take about half an hour for the pizza to get here," Feldt said.

"Alright," Tieria said, "Feldt, I need to thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't bring that medicine with you."

"Something told me to bring it," Feldt said, "I knew that you were going to leave it behind. I felt foolish for bringing it along seeing that it had been nearly a year since you had an attack…but I'm glad I brought it. Before we left I thought I heard you gasping for breath a bit so I brought it along."

"Thank you," Tieria said, "I would have been a problem if I needed to be hospitalized. They would have probably kept me overnight to run tests and monitor my breathing. That would not have been a good way to spend the night."

"Yeah," Mileina said, "We know how much you hate medical rooms and hospitals. What happens when you have an attack?"

Tieria sighed. For whatever reason Mileina always seemed to want to know every detail about his life, "Well," He said, "It gets hard for me to breathe, I get dizzy and it almost feels as though someone is stabbing me in the chest."

"That sounds really painful," Mileina said, "And it's because of the injuries you sustained two years ago?"

"Yeah," Tieria said as he attempted to reach for his book but didn't have the strength, "You have to remember how severely injured I was…I was in a coma for three months."

"That's true," Mileina said, "Erde-san, do you want your book?"

"Yes please," Tieria said as Mileina handed him his book, "Thank you Mileina."

"You haven't read all that much," Mileina said, "I thought you would have read more than that by now."

"I kept falling asleep while reading it," Tieria said, "I've been really tired lately."

"That's understandable," Mileina said, "You've been sick. It sucks that you were really sick on your birthday but luckily mama was there to take care of you. She knows just what to do when you're not feeling well. I'm sure she gave you something that made you fall right to sleep."

"I think she did," Tieria said, "I can't really remember."

"That'll happen," Feldt said, "Sumeragi was really worried about you, none of us had even seen you get that sick before."

"I don't honestly think I've ever felt that ill before," Tieria said, "I felt bad that Linda had to clean the mess that I had made."

"There was nothing that could have been done," Feldt said, "You were sick and had no control over what had happened."

"Yeah," Mileina said, "You had a pretty high fever, your stomach must have hurt really badly and it seemed as though you had a pretty bad nightmare on top of everything."

Tieria gasped. He had completely forgotten about the nightmare he had had that day until just then.

"Is something wrong?" Feldt asked.

"I was just remembering something…" He muttered.

"Was it the nightmare you had that day?" Feldt asked, "I meant to ask you about that."

Tieria sighed, "Hallelujah Haptism, Hixar Fermi, Grave Violento, and Neil were there," He said, "They kept commenting about…what I did to them…I…I caused them pain and nearly killed one of them…"

Feldt sighed. She knew about the event that Tieria was referring, "No one knew that Virtue was going to react like that," Feldt said, "It's not like you purposely shot the unit that Hixar was piloting."

"I know," Tieria said, "I just wish my unconscious knew that. I wish I knew why I had dreams like that."

"Just the fact that you react the way you do when you wake up proves that you care about everyone very much," Feldt said.

"Do you really think so?" Tieria asked.

"Yeah," Feldt said, "You may not think so but you're very kind. If you didn't care about us the nightmares you suffer from wouldn't disturb you at all. I know what I'm saying might sound odd to you but it's true. You would work yourself to exhaustion to try and find Allelujah and Setsuna because you care about them."

"I never really thought about it that way," Tieria said. He sighed as he started coughing again, "Feldt, how long is this going to last?"

"It depends on how bad your cold is," Feldt said, "Although, it does sound a lot better than it did the other day. The cough should go away in a few days." Tieria nodded as the doorbell rang, "I'll get that." She walked over to the door and opened it, "Saji-san,"

"Here's the pizza you ordered," He said, "I work for the place you ordered it from."

"I see," Feldt said, "Ah come in for a bit while I get the money."

"Okay," Saji said as he stepped into the apartment, "Tieria-san," He called, "Are you still feeling sick?"

"Not really," Tieria said, "I just had an asthma attack earlier and the medicine makes me really weak." He paused, "Thank you for the gloves."

"No, it was nothing," Saji said, "It was the least I could do for your birthday."

"I'll be sure to put them to good use," Tieria said as Feldt returned.

"Here you are Saji," Feldt said, "You're all set, I don't need any change back."

"Are you sure?" Saji asked, "This is quite a tip."

"Take it," Feldt said.

"Thank you," Saji said, "Have a good night. Take it easy Tieria-san."

"Is that your neighbor?" Mileina asked, "He seems really nice."

"Yeah," Feldt said, "Tieria, do you just want one piece?"

"Yes please," Tieria said. He wasn't at all a fan of pizza but he wanted to make Mileina happy so he would deal with it for one night.

"Erde-san," Mileina said, "Doesn't dairy upset your stomach?"

"Sometimes Mileina," Tieria said as Feldt handed him a plate, "But I don't think this will cause problems."

"That's good," Mileina said, "We wouldn't want you to feel sick again."

Tieria nodded and turned to his pizza. He picked up the piece of pizza expecting it to be dripping in grease however he was pleasantly surprised to find that the pizza wasn't greasy at all.

"Are you having trouble Erde-san?" Mileina said.

"No," Tieria said, "I'm fine."

"Okay," Mileina said, "Ne, Feldt-san, can we go eat in the living room too? That way Erde-san won't be alone."

"Sure," Feldt said as she picked up her plate and went over to the small table in the living room.

"Ano, Erde-san," Mileina said, "What was that piece you played earlier? It was very pretty."

"It was Ludwig von Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata," Tieria said as he took a bite of his pizza, "It took me several months to learn to play it. It's one of my favorites."

"I can imagine," Mileina said, "You're so talented…I wish I was talented like you."

"You are talented Mileina," Tieria said, "How many twelve year olds have a mechanic's license?"

"That's true," Mileina said, "Most girls my age are battling through junior high school."

"That's right," Feldt said, "From what Chris used to tell me, junior high school isn't a very fun time."

"Erde-san," Mileina said, "What did you do before you started at Celestial Being?"

Tieria gasped. He had no idea what to tell Mileina. Before starting with Celestial Being, Tieria couldn't remember anything about his life, "I really don't remember what I did," Tieria said, "But it's not important what I did before joining Celestial Being."

"It's alright," Mileina said, "And you're right it isn't important. So you're like us then, you've been with Celestial Being for as long as you can remember."

Tieria sighed. He was glad that Mileina dismissed the thought so quickly. He really didn't feel like explaining his back ground. It would take too long.

"Are you all set?" Feldt asked as she noticed that Tieria had finished his pizza.

"Yeah," Tieria said, "Could I get some water to drink please?"

"Sure," Feldt said.

"So what are we going to do?" Mileina asked, "I know you can't do much in your condition."

"I don't know," Tieria said, "I don't honestly care what we do."

"We could play some games," Feldt said as she handed Tieria a glass of water, "I bought a deck of cards and a trivia game."

"Can we play cards?" Mileina asked, "I'm no good at trivia games. And anyway, Erde-san is so smart he would probably beat us at a trivia game."

"We could do that," Feldt said, "Although…" She said as she glanced at Tieria.

"Before you say it, I do NOT cheat at cards!" Tieria exclaimed.

"I remember when Haptism-san told us about that," Mileina said, "It was Christmas a few years ago. I hate to say it Erde-san but you did throw yourself under the bus that day."

Tieria sighed, "So what if I did," he said, "That was back when I couldn't do anything without consulting Veda first…I've…changed a lot since then."

"Tieria…"

"Erde-san…"

"When I was disconnected from Veda I honestly thought that it was the end for me," He said softly, "I didn't think I could survive without Veda…I was wrong. And…I'm glad I was wrong." He smiled weakly, "Things may be harder for me now but I've learned how to live…and I've learned to think for myself."

"That's a good thing," Mileina said, "You really have changed and it's definitely for the better."

"It might be a bit hard for you two to understand my situation," Tieria said, "I'm a bit jealous of everyone…I just recently had to learn how to make decisions on my own…I feel so behind."

"You shouldn't feel that way Erde-san," Mileina said, "Everyone has to learn how to make their own decisions some point in their life."

"I guess you're right…" Tieria muttered.

"Come on," Feldt said as she noticed that Tieria seemed rather upset, "Let's play a game. What do you want to play Mileina?"

"Let's play strip poker!" Mileina exclaimed.

Tieria's garnet eyes widened, "Absolutely NOT!" He exclaimed, "You truly are your father's daughter. Strip poker is absolutely _out of the question!_"

"I'm kidding," Mileina said as she giggled, "I just wanted to see your reaction. You don't flip out often Erde-san but when you do, it's great."

Tieria sighed, "What do you really want to play?" He asked.

"Do you know how to play _mille_?" Mileina asked, "One of my instructors at Krung Thep taught me how to play."

"I know how to play," Feldt said, "But can we play _mille _with three people?"

"I don't know how to play," Tieria said, "You two can play a game and I'll watch you. Then I can play the winner."

"Okay," Mileina said, "Sounds good."

* * *

Tieria watched as the two girls played the card game. It was simple enough to understand. Each person got thirteen cards and if the dealer split the deck perfectly they were awarded with one hundred extra points for that round. The object of the game was similar to that of "go fish" however each player needed to get rid of the cards in their hands by creating pairs of three or more and you didn't ask your opponent for cards. He was told that twos and jokers were wild cards and that they were not cards that you wanted to be left with at the end of a hand. The first person to one thousand points was the winner.

"Do you think you understand it Erde-san?" Mileina asked after the first game.

"Yeah," Tieria said as he carefully slid off the couch to sit at the coffee table, "It seems easy enough."

"Do you want to play me or Feldt?" Mileina said, "You said you would play the winner but I'm warning you, I'm good."

"I'll play you," Tieria said, "I think I'm ready."

"Okay," Mileina said, "Just don't cry when you lose."

* * *

"Eh!" Mileina exclaimed, "How did you beat me? You've only played once! B-beginner's luck Erde-san! Let's play again!"

Tieria looked at his watch, "It's gotten rather late," He said as he gathered the cards, "You have to travel tomorrow. We should get ready for bed." He then went to stand up but his legs gave out under him causing him to fall. He gasped as a sharp pain shot through his left side as he landed.

"Erde-san!" Mileina exclaimed worriedly as she rushed to his side, "Are you alright?" She asked as he clutched his left side.

"Yeah," Tieria gasped, "I'm sorry. The weakness is wearing off and I thought that I would be able to stand."

"You're so stubborn," Feldt said as she and Mileina helped Tieria to his feet, "You could have seriously hurt yourself again."

"Sorry," Tieria said as the two girls led him to his room, "I'm probably going to sleep in this."

"Okay," Mileina said, "Let us know if you need anything during the night. Sleep well Erde-san!"

"Thanks," Tieria said, "Sleep well."

_

* * *

Tieria found himself in an odd situation. He was in the halls of Krung Thep and he had a gun in his hand._

_/What is going on?/ He thought._

"_Erde-san!" A young woman screamed, "Why are you doing this? There's no need-"_

"_Shut up!" He hissed as he pulled the trigger ending the young woman's life._

_/What…what am I doing…I…I just killed someone…I just killed an ally!/_

/No they're not allies!/ _A voice sounded in his head /_They're enemies! They're all enemies!/

_He wandered through the base until he got to the Ptolemaios' dock. He entered the ship and found Feldt, Sumeragi, Lasse, Setsuna, Lockon, Allelujah and Mileina in the bridge._

"_It ends here," He said as he reloaded the gun._

"_What are you talking about Tieria?" Lockon asked, "What do you mean it ends here?"_

"_Your lives will end here, tonight," He said. He then fired and stuck Lasse in the head._

_/Stop this…/_

"_Tieria!" Sumeragi exclaimed, "What are you…?"_

"_What…what are you doing?" Feldt gasped as Tieria turned the gun on Sumeragi._

"_What the hell are you doing!" Lockon asked as Tieria killed Sumeragi then Feldt._

_/Please, stop this…/_

"_Tieria!" Allelujah cried as he moved towards the purple haired Meister, "Stop this!"_

"_What does it look like I'm doing?" Tieria asked as he murdered Allelujah and Setsuna as well._

_/This is…just a dream…this isn't real…/_

"_HAVE YOU GONE MAD!" Lockon roared as he drew his own gun._

"_So we're going to play that game are we?" He sneered. He grabbed Mileina and held the gun to her head, "Either put your gun down and submit to me or I'll kill this little girl."_

"_E-Erde-san…" Mileina gasped tearfully, "You… you don't have to do this…please Erde-san…"_

"_Shut up!" Tieria spat, "So what is it going to be?"_

"_Like hell I've give in to a madman!" Lockon roared._

_/No…/_

"_Have it your way then," Tieria said as he pulled the trigger killing the girl._

_/No…this…this isn't happening…/_

/Oh but it is/

_/NO! It's not!/_

"_You son of a bitch!" Lockon roared as he pulled the trigger on Tieria just after Tieria pulled the trigger on him._

_/This…this…/ Tieria though as Lockon collapsed to the floor, /This can't be happening…/ he thought as the scene went black, /It's not real!/_

* * *

"Erde-san!"

Tieria woke up with a start and bolted upright in bed. He was dripping with sweat and he felt sick. The small lamp that was on his bedside table was on and Feldt and Mileina were standing at his bedside. Both girls looked extremely worried.

"Tieria!" Feldt cried, "What's wrong?"

"I'm…" Tieria moaned as his stomach lurched, "Going to be sick…" He rushed out of bed and headed to the washroom.

"Should we call Sumeragi-san?" Mileina asked as Tieria's stomach rejected what was in it, "He's really sick."

"Hold on," Feldt said as she entered the washroom with a change of clothes for Tieria, "What happened?" Tieria was extremely pale and shaking badly but Feldt had a feeling he wasn't reacting badly to the pizza. She had a feeling she knew why Tieria had gotten sick.

"I had a nightmare…" Tieria whispered as he took a glass of water from Feldt, "I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it," Feldt said as she placed a cool cloth to his forehead, "You scared us. You kept screaming things in your sleep."

"I'm sorry…" Tieria whispered, "I'm alright now. I'm not going to be sick again."

Feldt nodded and walked out of the washroom so Tieria could change.

"What's wrong?" Mileina asked, "Is it the pizza?"

"No," Feldt said, "He had a nightmare. I'm not going to push the matter though…it's been a while since he had one that made him sick."

"Oh," Mileina said, "I hope he's okay."

"I'll be alright…" Tieria said softly as he walked out of the washroom, "We should get back to bed."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Mileina asked, "You look awful."

"I'll be okay," Tieria said as he got back into bed. His stomach had settled but he couldn't shake the terror he felt from that nightmare, "I want you two to know what I was dreaming about. I…had a dream I killed everyone…Sumeragi, Lasse, Allelujah, Setsuna, Lockon and the two of you…it sickened me…I don't know why I keep seeing these thing!" He gripped the bed sheets and sobbed, "Why does this keep happening?"

"Erde-san," Mileina said as she walked up to the bed, "You would never do that."

"But I did…" Tieria sobbed.

"It was just a bad dream," Mileina said as she placed her hand on Tieria's shoulder, "Try not to think about it. I know you, you're very kind. You would take your own life before you would take one of ours." She then gently embraced Tieria, "You would never hurt one of us."

Tieria felt the fear dissipate as the girl embraced him, "Mileina…" He gasped, "Thank you…"

Mileina smiled and released Tieria, "Do you want us to sleep in here with you?" She asked innocently, "You look like you need some company."

Tieria smiled weakly and nodded, "Just don't tell your father," he said.

"Alright," Mileina said as she and Feldt went to the other room to get the futons. When the two girls were situated Mileina turned the small lamp off, "Try to get some more sleep Erde-san. And don't think about the dream you just had, think about things that make you happy."

"Ryoukai," He said in an almost mock tone, "Sleep well you two. I'm sorry for waking you."

"Don't worry about," Feldt said, "Just get some sleep."

Tieria nodded. He then shut his eyes and slipped into a deep and undisturbed sleep.

* * *

Poor Tieria…He can never catch a break can he? What a nightmare to have too…Mileina's so cute too. Innocently asking if they can all sleep in the same room…hey Tieria wouldn't dare to try something for fear of Ian, Mileina is probably a bit too young at this point (she's twelve here) and Feldt isn't the type of person to try anything. Plus after the nightmare I think poor T-chan needs the company. So what's going to happen next? Until next time Minna-san!

Oh by the way, _Mille _(Pronounced Mill) is a French Canadian card game.

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	19. Exhaustion

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back! It took me a little while to write this chapter because I have the next chapter written so this one was a toughie. I don't have much to say about this so you can get started right away!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or its characters but Veda's letting me borrow them for a bit

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Nineteen: Exhaustion

When Feldt and Mileina woke up they found that Tieria was still sound asleep. Feldt beaconed Mileina out of the room and she shut the door.

"We're going to let him sleep for as long as possible," Feldt said, "After the night he had he needs to sleep."

Mileina nodded, "At least he slept the rest of the night," she said, "I had a hard time getting back to sleep because I was worried about Erde-san. I checked on him a few times and he was alseep."

"I know," Feldt said as she coughed a bit, "I had a hard time sleeping after that too."

"Are you okay Feldt-san?" Mileina asked, "You don't look so good."

"Yeah," Feldt said, "I think I just caught a little bit of Tieria's cold. I'll be alright. Don't tell him though, he's got enough on his mind."

Mileina nodded, "We probably shouldn't tell him that we couldn't get back to sleep afterwards either," She said, "Although odds are, he'll find out about your cold sooner or later."

Feldt nodded, "What do you want for breakfast?" She asked, "I can make pancakes if you want."

"Okay!" Mileina exclaimed as the communicator sitting on the table went off, "Can I answer this?"

"It's Tieria's but go ahead," Feldt said, "It's probably Sumeragi."

"Okay," Mileina said as she picked up the device, "Hi!"

"_Good morning Mileina," _Sumeragi said, _"How was your night?"_

"It was good," Mileina said.

"_That's good," _Sumeragi said, _"Is Tieria around?"_

"He's still asleep," Mileina said.

"_Is he?"_ Sumeragi asked, _"That's odd. Is he alright?"_

"He had a really bad nightmare last night," Mileina said, "So we're letting him sleep for a while longer."

Sumeragi sighed, _"What kind of nightmare was it?"_ she asked.

"The type where he woke up sick to his stomach," Mileina said knowing exactly what Sumeragi was referring to, "He was only sick once though and he fell right back to sleep."

"_Okay,"_ Sumeragi said, _"I'll talk to him about it later. We'll be over around eleven so let Tieria sleep until then okay?"_

"Okay," Mileina said, "We'll see you then."

"When we're done with breakfast you should probably pack up," Feldt said, "That way you're ready when Sumeragi and your parents get here."

"Okay!"

* * *

Tieria woke to someone gently nudging his shoulder. He moaned a bit as he turned away from whoever was trying to wake him. He was still exhausted and he wanted to sleep a little more.

"Tieria…" Sumeragi's voice quietly called, "Are you feeling alright?"

He slowly opened his eyes and found Sumeragi sitting in front of his bed, "Sumeragi…" he muttered tiredly.

"I heard you had a nightmare last night," She said, "Are you feeling okay?"

"I guess," Tieria shrugged. His stomach was still a little uneasy but he wasn't feeling sick anymore.

"Feldt and Mileina said that it was really bad," Sumeragi said, "Could you tell me what you were dreaming about?"

Tieria sighed, "I had a dream where I killed everyone…" He muttered, "I shot every last person at Krung Thep…then I killed Setsuna, Allelujah, Lockon, Lasse, Feldt Mileina and you…There was a voice in my head telling me that you were all enemies…I'm scared…what if that actually happens?"

"That's not going to happen Tieria," Sumeragi said, "You _know _you wouldn't be able to hurt any of us."

"But what if something like that does happen?" Tieria asked, "When we get back to Krung Thep will you take my gun from me?"

"You're worrying about it too much now Tieria," Sumeragi said, "Think about it. Would you every do anything to hurt any of the people you care about?"

"No," Tieria said after a few seconds, "I would take my own life before I would do something like that."

"Exactly," Sumeragi said, "Now stop worrying about it. Are you going to come to the airport with us or do you want to stay here and rest?"

"I'll come," Tieria said as he sat up trying to ignore the pain in his side but it must have shown on his face.

"Is your side bothering you?" Sumeragi asked.

"A little bit," Tieria said, "I tried to stand up yesterday and I fell. I didn't get hurt but it aggravated my side a bit."

Sumeragi sighed, "What did I tell you about having the girls help you?" She asked.

"The weakness had started to diminish," Tieria said, "I thought I was going to be able to stand up on my own."

"You really need to learn when to rely on others," Sumeragi said, "Are your ribs taped?"

"No," Tieria said.

"Have Linda tape your ribs before we leave," Sumeragi said as she headed for the door, "You should keep them taped until they heal."

Tieria nodded as he got out of bed to get dressed.

When he was done he walked into the living room.

"Erde-san!" Mileina greeted enthusiastically, "How are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm alright," Tieria said. He walked up to Linda, "Can you tape my ribs?"

"Sure," Linda said as she headed towards the washroom with Tieria, "Is your side still bothering you?"

"I aggravated it last night," Tieria said as he sat on the vanity and removed his shirt.

Linda gently ran her hand down Tieria's left side and he hissed in pain, "So, it hurts the most right about there?" She asked as she kept her hand on the spot that caused Tieria the most pain. Tieria nodded, "Okay, I'm sorry but this might hurt a bit."

Tieria bit his lip as Linda began taping his side. "How long does it normally take for broken ribs to heal?" He asked, "It's been a while hasn't it?"

"It's been three weeks," Linda said as she started taping Tieria's ribs, "And it will probably take several more weeks for them to heal completely. You have to remember that your ribs were broken rather severely and we didn't use any regenerative treatments for your injuries."

Tieria sighed as he winced, "I see," he muttered.

"I know it's a little annoying," Linda said, "Does it bother you all the time?"

"No," Tieria said, "It'll hurt every so often."

"Just take it easy for a while," Linda said as she smoothed the last piece of tape against Tieria's skin, "There you go Tieria-kun."

"Thank you," Tieria said as she replaced his shirt.

"You're welcome," Linda said as she put the medical tape away, "You're looking a little pale, Tieria-kun. Are you feeling alright?"

"I had a nightmare last night," Tieria said as he followed Linda into the living room, "I woke up sick…I'm alright now but I'm still not felling completely better."

Linda nodded, "Just try to relax today," She said with a warm smile.

"Are we just about ready to go?" Sumeragi asked as Tieria walked into the living room.

"I haven't eaten anything yet," Tieria said.

"Don't worry about it," Sumeragi said, "We're going to go to lunch before we head to the airport. You can eat then."

Tieria nodded. He didn't have much of an appetite. He still hadn't recovered from the nightmare he had suffered from the night before. He sighed as the images from the nightmare started to resurface. He quickly shut his eyes and held his head a bit, trying to force them from his mind.

"Are you alright, Tieria?" Sumeragi asked as she placed her hand on Tieria's shoulder, "You don't look well."

"I'm alright," Tieria said as he opened his eyes, "I'm just a bit tired."

Sumeragi nodded but placed her hand on Tieria's forehead just to be safe. The boy's skin was cool but Sumeragi had a feeling that Tieria wasn't feeling well, "You should stay here and rest then," She said.

Tieria shook his head, "Feldt wants to see you off," Tieria said, "The airport is rather far from here and I don't want her walking home on her own. I'll be alright."

Sumeragi nodded, "Alright," She said. Tieria may have been cold and distant in the past but there was no denying that the boy was kind, "Well come on. We're on a bit of a schedule and we have to get going.

* * *

Before heading to the airport they stopped at a small restaurant.

"Here's your water sir," the waitress said as she handed Tieria the water he ordered.

"Thank you," Tieria muttered.

"Have you all decided on what you would like to eat?" She asked.

Tieria sighed as the others ordered their meals. He didn't feel much like eating but he knew that Sumeragi was going to force him to eat something. He wasn't sick, there was no excuse for him to skip another meal.

"And for you sir?"

"Just some rice," Tieria said.

"Alright," The young woman said, "I'll be right back with your orders."

Tieria heard Sumeragi sigh in discontent, "Tieria, you need to eat more than that," She said, "When the waitress comes back I want you order something else."

Tieria sighed, "I'm really not hungry," He said, "I wasn't going to order anything at all to be honest but I knew that something like this was going to come up."

"Tieria, you need to eat," Sumeragi said sternly, "I can't remember the last time I saw you eat a full meal. You're not sick, you are going to eat."

"I said I wasn't hungry," Tieria snapped as he abandoned his water, "Excuse me." He then stood up and left the restaurant.

Sumeragi sighed, "Now I've done it," She mumbled, "I should know better than to press matters like that with him…I should go talk to him."

"I'll go," Mileina said as she stood up, "I was able calm him down last night. Maybe I can talk to him about this."

"Thank you Mileina," Sumeragi said.

Mileina walked out of the restaurant and found Tieria leaning against the building with his head in his hands.

"Erde-san," She called softly, "Are you alright?" Tieria looked up and Mileina could see that he had been crying, "What's wrong?"

"Mileina…" he said softly as he wiped the tears from his eyes and replaced his glasses, "It's nothing."

"No," Mileina said, "It's not nothing, something's wrong."

"You wouldn't understand," Tieria muttered as he sat against the building. His side was bothering him and he was starting to get a headache.

"I may not understand," the child said as she sat down next Tieria, "But I can listen. You're afraid aren't you? You're afraid that the nightmare you had last night will become real. Am I right?"

Tieria gasped. Mileina had completely figured him out, "Yeah," Tieria mumbled, "I just can't shake those images from my mind and it scares me."

"You said that Stratos-san was in the dream right?" Mileina asked. Tieria nodded, "Then it can't happen. Stratos-san is…"

"Dead…" Tieria finished sadly.

"See?" Mileina said, "If it was a dream about the future then it can't happen. So don't worry about it anymore okay? You're not going to feel well if you keep thinking about it. Come on let's go back inside. It's cold out here and everyone is worried about you."

Tieria nodded, "I owe Sumeragi an apology don't I?" he asked, "I lashed out against her."

"I think she understands," Mileina said, "You're really tired aren't you? And Noriega-san is just worried about you. You haven't been yourself in a while and Noriega-san just wants to help you. Come on let's go back inside. You're shivering and you still have a touch of a cold, we don't want you to have another attack."

Tieria nodded and stood up, "Thank you again Mileina," he said, "You helped me last night and you helped me again just now."

"Anytime Erde-san," Mileina said with a smile, "I know you don't really like it, but I can hug you? You look like you really need one right now."

"Go ahead," Tieria said, "Just be careful. My side is a little sore right now."

"Okay," Mileina said as she carefully yet tightly embraced Tieria, "Cheer up Erde-san. We're all worried about you."

"Oi!" Ian called from the door, "Just what do the two of you think you're doing?" He turned to Tieria, "Explain, now!"

"Papa!" Mileina exclaimed as she quickly released Tieria, "Don't yell at Erde-san. I was the one who hugged him. He was really upset and he needed a little comforting so I hugged him."

"Well?" Ian said as he folded his arms across his chest.

"It's as she said," Tieria responded as he walked back in the restaurant. He sat back down at the table, "I'm sorry for lashing out at you," He said, "I know you're only trying to help me."

"No," Sumeragi said, "I should be sorry. I know how you get the day after having a bad nightmare. I shouldn't have made such a fuss."

Tieria nodded as the waitress returned with their lunch.

* * *

"So," Mileina said in the car after lunch, "When we get back we're going to finish up the adjustments to the Seraphim System?"

"Yup," Ian said, "We have a lot to do when we get back."

"When will Feldt and I be returning?" Tieria asked softly. They were on their way to the airport and the car ride had him feeling rather nauseous.

"In a few more weeks," Sumeragi said, "I'm still not convinced that you're feeling well enough to return to work just yet. It will probably be after the first of the year, if that's alright with you."

Tieria nodded and shut his eyes, "How long until we get to the airport?" he asked. He was exhausted and he wanted to know if he had enough time to take a short nap.

"We'll be arriving in about fifteen minutes," Linda said, "You won't have enough time to sleep."

Tieria nodded and opened his eyes again, "What time is your train?" He asked.

"Three thirty," Linda said, "If you want to shut your eyes for a bit Tieria-kun, you can. You should also take a nap when you get back to the apartment."

"We have to go food shopping," Tieria said as he yawned and shut his eyes again, "That comes first. If I fall asleep, wake me up."

"Okay," Linda said.

* * *

Wang Liu Mei and Hong Long were waiting at the airport when they arrived.

"You're a little late," The teenage girl said, "Did you hit traffic?"

"No," Linda said, "Tieria-kun fell asleep so we decided to drive around for a little bit to let him sleep."

"I see," She said, "Are you ready? You're on a bit of a tight schedule."

"Yes," Linda said, "We're ready." She turned to Feldt and Tieria, "Take care you two." She said as she gave both a hug, "Get some rest, Tieria-kun. You too Feldt-chan, you seem to have caught a bit of Tieria-kun's cold."

"Well," Sumeragi said, "We'll be seeing you in a few weeks. Take care of yourselves now. And try to have a bit of fun before you leave."

"I'll miss you two," Mileina said, "Erde-san, if you ever need to talk to someone just call me okay? I promise I'll listen."

"Thank you Mileina," Tieria said as he lightly hugged the girl.

"Oi knock it off," Ian said as he nudged Tieria's injured side causing him to release Mileina rather promptly, "I swear if you try _anything_ I will personally destroy your new mobile suit and have you rebuild it yourself."

"Don't do that papa!" Mileina exclaimed, "He's hurt! Are you okay Erde-san?"

"Yeah," Tieria said as he clutched his side a bit, "Take care everyone." He sighed as the small group headed into the airport. He wanted to return to space as well but Sumeragi was right. He still needed a bit more time to recuperate, "Feldt," He said, "Do you mind taking the train home? I don't feel up to taking a cab." There had been a few times during the car ride to the airport where he thought that he was going to be sick and he didn't want to risk it again.

"I don't mind," She said softly. She wasn't feeling well and she didn't want to worry about Tieria's carsickness. She had a headache, her throat was sore and she was exhausted.

Tieria glanced at Feldt. She wasn't herself and it worried him, "Feldt, are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm just tired," She said, "After you had that nightmare last night I was worried about you and didn't sleep very well for the rest of the night. Will you be alright doing the shopping by yourself? I'm probably going to take a nap when we get back."

"Okay," Tieria said. Something told him that Feldt wasn't being truthful and he made a note to keep a close eye on the girl for the rest of the trip home.

* * *

Tieria and Feldt slowly walked home from the station after a quiet train ride. Neither of them were feeling very well. Tieria was exhausted and he just wanted to lie down and take a nap. And Feldt was really starting to feel sick. Her head was spinning and her throat was burning.

/I should have told Tieria that I was sick/ She said, /But I don't want to trouble him…he's not feeling well either/ She took a few more steps and her legs gave out from under her causing Tieria to stop. /I should have stayed home…I'm sorry Tieria…/

* * *

Tieria stopped as he heard something hit the ground behind him. He turned around and saw Feldt kneeling on the ground, "Feldt, what's wrong?" He asked as he rushed to her side. He took his glove off and placed his hand on the girl's forehead, "You're running a fever. You must have caught my cold."

"It was inevitable," Feldt said, "I was the one taking care of you." She tried to stand up again but her legs wouldn't support her weight.

Tieria knelt down in front of the girl, "Grab on to my neck and I'll carry you," he said.

"But your side…" She said, "You'll be in pain if you carry me. Don't worry, I'm fine…I can walk on my own."

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Tieria said, "You're not feeling well. I don't want you to get hurt because you collapsed again."

Feldt sighed then did what she was told. "I'm sorry," She mumbled into Tieria's back as he struggled to stand, "I didn't mean to cause you trouble…"

"I did the same thing remember?" Tieria said as he finally stood, "Come on, let's get you home."

"Okay," Feldt muttered, "Thank you Tieria…"

* * *

Aw, poor Feldt caught Tieria's cold. How is that going to play out? Once again, it was Mileina to the rescue but this time Ian was there to crash the party so to speak. At least he won't find out about what happened at the sleepover. So what's going to happen now that Feldt's sick? It's just the two of them and Tieria can't cook…that might be a problem. Until next time Minna-san! Ja ne!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


	20. Someone to Watch Out For

Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back! This chapter took me a little longer than I thought it would. But it's done. It may be slightly out of character but I tend to do that from time to time and yet it almost always works out. Enjoy this rather long chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or its characters but Veda's letting me borrow them for a bit

Happy Reading!

* * *

Chapter Twenty: Someone to Watch Out For

"Tieria," Feldt muttered as Tieria brought her to her room, "You didn't have to carry me home. You're still injured."

"I didn't want you to get hurt as well," Tieria muttered as he clutched his left side, "Don't worry about me, just get some rest."

"Okay," Feldt said softly, "Take it easy Tieria."

Tieria nodded, "Get some sleep," He said with a weak smile, "I'll do my best to take care of you the way you took care of me."

"Thank you," Feldt said as she removed her coat.

Tieria sighed as he left the room. He had no idea how he was supposed to take care of Feldt. He couldn't cook and with his side in as much pain as it was, he almost couldn't bear to stand for long periods of time.

Tieria sat down on the couch and put his hand to his side. The pain was almost unbearable and he bit his lip as tears came to his eyes. He sat there for several minutes trying to deal with the pain when there was a knock at the door. He took a deep breath and slowly stood up trying his hardest to deal with the overwhelming pain. He opened the door and found Saji standing there.

"Saji...Crossroads…" Tieria muttered as his knees grew weak with the pain and he started to fall forwards.

"Tieria-san!" Saji cried as he caught Tieria, "What's wrong? You look awful."

"Feldt fell ill while we were out running errands," Tieria gasped as he clutched his side, "I carried her home from the station with two broken ribs on my left side."

"No wonder you collapsed," Saji said as he helped Tieria to the couch, "How can you deal with the pain?"

"I'm used to it," Tieria muttered, "Whenever I was injured during a battle I had to deal with the pain. I'm allergic to most medications for pain. I'll be alright in a little bit."

"Are you sure?" Saji asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said tiredly as he rested his head against the armrest, "Just let me sleep for a little while…"

"Tieria-san!" Saji cried as Tieria's eyes closed and he lost consciousness, "Tieria-san!"

"Saji-san?" Feldt said as she walked into the room wearing her pajamas, "What happened?"

"Tieria-san just fainted," Saji said.

Feldt coughed a bit, "I was wondering when that was going to happen," She said, "He pushed himself far too hard…I told him that I would be fine walking but he insisted on carrying me back. Just put a cool compress on his forehead and let him rest a while."

"If you're sick you should rest as well Feldt-chan," Saji said, "I don't have to work today. I'll take care of the two of you today."

"Thank you Saji-san," Feldt said, "But you really don't have to do that."

"You're sick and Tieria-san's not well either," Saji said, "The two of you can't possibly fend for yourselves like this. Just get back to bed. I'll take care of everything else."

Feldt nodded and returned to her room.

Saji sighed as he grabbed a few paper towels and wet them. He then walked over to Tieria, took the boy's glasses from his face then placed the cold compress on his forehead. "Sleep well Tieria-san," He said softly.

"Feldt-chan," Saji said as he entered the girl's room, "Would you like some tea and soup?"

"I'll just have some tea," Feldt said, "I already had lunch."

"Okay," Saji said, "I'll make some for Tieria-san as well."

"Thank you Saji-san," Feldt said.

"You're welcome."

* * *

Tieria was a little confused when he woke up on the couch. He could remember Saji helping him over to the couch but he couldn't remember falling asleep. He slowly sat up and winced a bit as a sharp pain shot through his side.

"Ah Tieria-san!" Saji greeted, "Are you feeling better?"

"I guess," Tieria said as he rubbed his eyes, "How long have I been asleep?"

"About two hours," Saji said, "I was a little worried when you suddenly fainted but Feldt-chan said that she was expecting that to happen."

"I fainted?" Tieria asked.

"Yeah," Saji said, "I don't have to work today so I'm helping you two out." He watched as Tieria tried to stand, "You should rest a little more Tieria-san. You did faint."

Tieria winced as he doubled over in pain again, "That…sounds like a good idea," He muttered as he put his hand to his side and sat back down, "How's Feldt feeling?"

"She's asleep right now," Saji said, "Her temperature is thirty-eight point two."

Tieria nodded and winced as he started coughing. His cold was almost completely gone but he still had a little bit of a cough.

"Tieria-san," Saji said as he opened the freezer, "I know you can't have medication but do you at least want some ice for your side? It may help to dull the pain."

"Yes please," Tieria muttered.

"Here you go," Saji said as he handed a bag of ice to Tieria, "That should help. How did you break you ribs anyway?"

"I broke my ribs during a training exercise," Tieria said as he held the ice to his injured side, "That was the day I really started to feel sick because of pneumonia. Apparently I fainted about half way through and my mobile suit crashed. I sustained two broken ribs from the impact. My helmet visor shattered and it left a piece of glass imbedded in my eyelid. I was granted a leave of absence because of that incident."

"Wow," Saji said, "Why did you participate if you weren't feeling well?"

"I didn't have a choice," Tieria said, "There had been a lot of times when I was in no condition to pilot in the last year. I just couldn't miss another training exercise so I participated despite being sick. My superior officers gave me quite the lecture when I was finally feeling better. So after that they decided to give me the rest of the year off."

"You must be very dedicated then," Saji said, "What's the military going to do with Celestial Being gone?"

Tieria gasped a little bit, "I don't know," He muttered, "I guess we'll be trying to keep the peace."

"If the Gundams do come back," Saji said, "Are you going to join the new peace keeping force? The A-laws."

"Probably not," Tieria said, "I'm probably going to stay with the regular forces…I don't think I would make the cut for the A-Laws."

"I see," Saji said, "Hey do you think Celestial Being is still out there somewhere?"

"I don't know," Tieria said, "There's a possibility that they're still out there somewhere. I doubt such an organization would just simply disappear."

"I guess you're right," Saji said, "I'm going to go check on Feldt-chan."

Tieria sighed as Saji left the room. His side had finally stopped throbbing and had dulled down to something he could tolerate. He carefully stood up and walked into the kitchen. He put the bag of ice back in the freezer and he started checking the cupboards.

"What are you doing Tieria-san?" Saji asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Not really," Tieria said, "We're running low on food. I was thinking of heading to the store in a little bit."

"Do you want me to go for you?" Saji asked, "You shouldn't push yourself if you're injured."

"I'll be alright," Tieria said as he started writing down a short list of what they needed, "My side is feeling better now."

"If you're sure," Saji said, "Since Feldt is sick could you pick up some ingredients for a nice vegetable soup? I was thinking of making a large batch for you two to heat up when you need it. I know you said that you couldn't cook very well Tieria-san."

"Here," Tieria said as he handed the list to Saji, "Write down what you need."

Saji took the list, "It's in English." he said, "Tieria-san, you can speak English?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "English is my native language."

"I would have never guessed that Japanese is a second language for you," Saji said, "You speak Japanese so well. Can you read Japanese as well?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "You can write the ingredients in Japanese. I can read it."

"Oh good," Saji said, "I'm still not very good at English. Can you speak any other languages?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I'm fluent in eight languages, English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Chinese, Russian and Spanish."

"That's incredible!" Saji exclaimed, "If you have time, do you think you could help me with English? I need to learn English if I want to become an engineer and I'm having some trouble with it."

"I could do that," Tieria said as he took the list from Saji, "Can you read what I put down in English?"

Saji took the list from Tieria, "Let's see…" He said, "You need milk, bread, eggs, rice, tea, lettuce, orange juice, cheese, deli turkey and…uh…is that soy milk?"

"You got it," Tieria said with a small reassuring smile, "Good job."

"Thank you," Saji said as he blushed a little, "Why do you have both milk and soy milk on the list?"

"I'm lactose intolerant," Tieria said, "I can drink milk however it gives me a stomachache. So I get the soy milk for myself and the regular milk for Feldt."

"Oh okay," Saji said as he handed the list back to Tieria, "Do you know how to get to the market from here?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "It's right near the train station is it not?"

"Yeah," Saji said as Tieria grabbed his wallet and jacket then put his shoes on, "Call me if you need any help."

"I will," Tieria said, "I'll be back."

* * *

Half way through his shopping trip, Tieria's communicator went off.

"_Oh good,"_ Sumeragi said, _"You picked up. I just wanted to let you know that we're on our way back to space."_

"Okay," Tieria said, "Let me know when you get back."

"_I will," _Sumeragi said, _"How's Feldt feeling? I know she wasn't feeling very well earlier."_

"She has a fever," Tieria said, "Saji-san is watching her until I finish the grocery shopping."

"_Okay," _Sumeragi said, "_How high is her fever?"_

"I think it was thirty-eight point two," Tieria said, "I don't think she'll get as sick as I did."

"_I don't think so either,"_ Sumeragi said, _"She more accustom to catching colds than you are. Speaking of colds, are you still coughing?"_

"From time to time," Tieria said, "It's not as frequent as it was. And don't worry," He said knowing exactly what Sumeragi was going to ask him next, "My breathing is fine and I am keeping my inhaler on me just to be safe."

"_Okay,"_ Sumeragi said, _"Just keep me updated. What about you? Are you feeling any better?"_

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I took a two hour nap and I'm feeling better. Saji is going to make us some soup for supper since Feldt is sick."

"_Okay I'm glad you're feeling better," _Sumeragi asked, _"How is your side?"_

"It's still a little painful," Tieria said, "I carried Feldt home from the train station and irritated it more. But I didn't want Feldt to get hurt if she collapsed on the way home."

"_You selfless idiot!" _Sumeragi exclaimed, _"Did Feldt yell at you all the way home?"_

"Yes she did," Tieria said, "Every time I winced, she yelled at me to put her down."

"_As she should have," _Sumeragi said, _"I swear, you just don't know when to call it quits. Sometimes you drive me absolutely crazy Tieria. And I can't help but wonder if you're more likely to get killed during a battle or if you're more likely to get yourself killed doing something stupid."_

"Are you saying I'm stupid?" Tieria asked.

"_No, not at all,"_ Sumeragi said_, "I'm just saying you don't think things through enough. You such a one track mind that you tend to jump into things head-first without looking first. Well I'm sure you have stuff to do, so I'm going to let you go. Take care Tieria, talk to you later."_

"Talk to you later Sumeragi," Tieria said.

"_Try not to worry about us too much," _Sumeragi said, _"We'll make it back safe and sound. Just concentrate on taking care of Feldt."_

"Alright," Tieria said as he ended the call. He shook his head and smiled a bit. It was like Sumeragi to worry about him. He put his communicator back in his pocket and finished his shopping.

* * *

Saji was watching a television show when Feldt walked into the living room.

"Ah Feldt-chan," Saji greeted, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Feldt said as she sat down on the couch, "Where's Tieria? Is he in his room?"

"No," Saji said, "He went food shopping. He should be back soon I offered to go for him but he insisted on going himself."

"Of course he did," Feldt said, "Once Tieria has his mind set on doing something he's not going to rest until he finishes it. He's gotten into trouble doing that on several occasions."

"I'm surprised," Saji said, "He seems like such a level-headed person."

"Tieria is level-headed," Feldt said, "But at the same time, he's a little reckless."

"I see," Saji said, "Once Tieria-san gets back I was going to make some soup for you two. I'll probably make enough to last you a few days that way you don't have to worry about cooking while you're sick."

"Thank you," Feldt said, "Tieria tries his best with cooking but no matter how many cook books he reads he just can't figure it out. Plus he doesn't have much time to practice it."

"It happens," Saji said as the doorbell rang, "That's probably Tieria-san." He walked over to the door and opened it, "Welcome back Tieria-san. Here, let me grab one of those for you. Were you able to get everything you needed?"

"Yeah," Tieria said as he walked into the apartment and placed the bags down on the counter, "Feldt, I bought you some medicine. You should take some before you go to bed."

"Okay," Feldt said, "Thank you Tieria. How is your side feeling?"

"It's a little better," Tieria said, "It's going to keep bothering me until it heals."

"I meant to ask you this earlier," Saji said, "How long ago did you break your ribs?"

"About three weeks ago," Tieria said, "They said that it would take up to two months for them to heal completely."

"Why didn't they use regenerative treatments?" Saji said, "I thought that the military would have used some sort of regenerative treatment to treat such an injury."

"They did," Tieria said as he started putting the groceries away, "I also punctured my left lung in the crash. However due to the fever, pneumonia and my intolerance to some of the more powerful treatment options they couldn't use regenerative treatment for my ribs."

"It sounds like you've had a rough time," Saji said as he gathered the ingredients for the soup, "It's no wonder they granted you leave."

"Do you want me to help you with something?" Tieria asked, "I feel bad that you're cooking for us."

"You could help me cut the vegetables," Saji said.

Tieria nodded and did what he was told to do, "Is this good?" He asked.

"Yup that looks good Tieria-san," Saji said.

"Saji," Tieria said, "Feldt and I were wondering what you normally do on Christmas."

"I used to exchange gifts with my sister and girlfriend," Saji said, "But my sister was killed and my girlfriend is still in a hospital in Spain…She was the only survivor of the Gundam attack at a resort in Spain. Apparently the doctors said that the GN-Particles caused a mutation in her cells and they couldn't regenerate her hand."

Tieria gasped. He had heard about that attack. In fact it was that incident that had sent Setsuna over the edge. He had also heard about the fake GN-Particles causing some sort of cellular mutation that caused the cells to stop regenerating. Lasse was experiencing something similar and Tieria knew that it would eventually kill him. "That's awful," Tieria said, "One of my comrades was attacked by the three Gundams that showed up during the operation in the Talkaman desert and something similar happened to him. He goes for weekly treatments but the doctors told us that it will eventually kill him."

"I hope that doesn't happen with Louise," Saji said, "Although there was something different about the second set of Gundams that emerged. They seemed much more hostile than the first four. In fact Louise and I were saved by one of the original Gundams. We were involved in the incident where part of the gravity block broke away from the orbital station. If that Gundam hadn't helped us, we would have died."

Tieria gasped again. He remembered that incident all too well. He had locked Allelujah in isolation for a week because of that. "A few of my comrades were involved in that as well," He said, "I don't think the first four and the second set of Gundams were allies to be honest."

"How so?" Saji asked.

"The first group tried to avoid civilian casualties," Tieria said, "While the second group didn't care who they killed. I also heard of an incident where the two groups of Gundams fought against each other. Despite the fact that if the second set of Gundams didn't step in when they did, the first set would have been defeated."

"They were fighting against each other?" Saji asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I think the second set of Gundams was sent out to make people turn completely against Celestial Being. They had different power supplies as well. The original set of Gundam emitted green particles while the second set emitted red particles. My guess is that there was some sort of traitor in Celestial Being."

"Serves them right," Saji said, "But I guess it doesn't matter now. Celestial Being was defeated anyway. Why did you want to know what I was going to do on Christmas?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to celebrate with Feldt and I," Tieria said. He was glad the Saji changed the subject. It was still too painful for him to think about the events that took place two years ago, "We wouldn't do anything special but you're welcome to spend Christmas with us if you want."

"Okay," Saji said, "That would be nice." He looked at Tieria and sighed, "Is something wrong Tieria-san?"

"It's nothing," Tieria said, "My side is just a little painful."

"Why don't you go sit down," Saji said, "I don't need any more help."

Tieria nodded and walked over to the couch, "Do you need anything Feldt?"

"I'm okay for now," She said, "Are you feeling alright? I know there was quite a bit that was bothering you earlier."

"I took a two hour nap and I'm a bit more at ease now," Tieria said, "I'm alright."

Feldt nodded and rested against Tieria. She was worried about the Meister. They have been there for a while and Tieria didn't seem to be doing any better. He still wasn't eating or sleeping well and he was still having nightmares almost every night. She woke up in the middle of the night almost every night to Tieria whimpering in his sleep. She wished that there was some way that she could help Tieria but she just couldn't seem to get through to him at all. No one in Celestial Being could get through to Tieria anymore, not since Lockon's death. "I'm worried about you," She muttered. It was hard to see the once strong and stable Tieria Erde in such a state.

Tieria sighed, "We'll talk later, okay." He said.

"The soup is just about done," Saji said, "Are you two hungry?"

"I'm a little hungry," Feldt said, "I'll have a little bit of soup please."

"Okay," Saji said, "And how about you Tieria-san?"

"I'll have some," He said, "You should probably take some medicine now Feldt. I heard that it's best to take medicine with food so it doesn't upset your stomach."

"Okay," Feldt said, "Thank you Saji-san."

"I'm probably going to head home after this," Saji said, "If you need anything at all just call me okay. I'll leave my phone number with you."

"Thank you Saji-san," Tieria said as he took a bowl of soup from the other boy, "I think we'll be fine for the rest of the night."

"Okay," Saji said as he put some soup in a small container, "I hope the two of you feel better soon."

"Thank you Saji-san," Feldt said, "The soup is really good."

"You're welcome," Saji said, "I'll see you two later. Don't be afraid to ask me for anything."

Tieria nodded then turned to his soup. He still wasn't very hungry but he needed to eat regardless. He took a small sip of the soup and he had to admit, it was good. It was better than anything he would have been able to make. "You said you were worried about me," he said vacantly.

"You haven't been yourself in a while," Feldt said, "You're always tired lately. Have you been sleeping alright?" She asked knowing full well what the answer was. She knew that Tieria was going to lie about how well he had been sleeping.

Tieria sighed. He hadn't been sleeping well. He had been waking up I the middle of the night almost every night because of nightmares, "I've been sleeping alright," He responded.

"No," Feldt said as tears sprung to her eyes, "I don't think you have been sleeping well. I've heard you. Every night, I've heard you crying in your sleep. Every night you desperately call out for Lockon, Allelujah and Setsuna…when…when are you going to talk to us about what's bothering you? I thought this little vacation would take your mind off of things but you only seem to be getting worse." He paused as more tears streamed down her face, "Honestly, why do you feel as though you can't talk to anyone about what you're going through? We can help you Tieria…but you…won't seem to let us…" With that she abandoned her soup and completely broke down in tears.

Tieria sighed. He knew that every word Feldt said was true. He would wake in the middle of the night crying his comrades' names, panicking and dripping in sweat after waking from nightmares time and time again.

"When you went on that mission…and disappeared for five days…I thought you had been killed…I couldn't sleep at night…I couldn't eat…I thought that…another one of my older brothers had been taken away from me…" Feldt sobbed, "When you finally returned…I didn't leave the medical room that day…I stayed there…just to make sure you were really back…I stayed there to make sure it wasn't a dream…" She coughed a bit, "I worried about you…all the time…especially when you would faint…The first time you fainted…you scared the living daylights out of me Tieria Erde!"

Tieria sighed as he placed his empty bowl on the coffee table, "Feldt…" He said softly as he pulled the crying girl into a hug.

"Don't you "Feldt" me!" She yelled as she slapped Tieria in the face and pushed him away aggravating his side in the process, "How do you think the rest of us feel when you go and nearly kill yourself doing something stupid like that!" She yelled as Tieria doubled over in pain with one hand to his face and the other at his side, "We've already lost almost everything we had! We don't need to lose you as well!"

Tieria sighed as he once again tried to pull Feldt into a hug.

"You idiot!" Feldt screamed as she slapped Tieria again.

"I promise you," Tieria said as he grabbed the hand that Feldt had raised to strike him again, "I won't leave you. Everything will work out. But for now please calm down. You're not well and you're going to make yourself feel sicker."

"Tieria…" Feldt muttered as the tears continued to stream down her face. She then buried her face in Tieria's chest and cried once again forgetting about his injury.

Tieria winced in pain as he gently embraced the pink-haired girl while she cried. "Here," He said as he handed the girl the box of medicine he had bought for her, "Take some medicine, take a cool shower then go to bed. I don't want to see my younger sister get sicker because she worked herself up too much, okay?"

"Thank you Tieria," Feldt muttered as she finally released Tieria to his relief, "I'm sorry I hit you…I don't know what I was thinking…"

"It's understandable," Tieria said as he massaged his side a bit, "You aren't feeling well. Take a shower and get some sleep." He said with a soft smile, "If you need anything during the night, don't be afraid to call me okay."

Feldt nodded and stood up, "I'll go and check my temperature first," She said, "It was thirty-eight point two the last time I checked."

"Let me know what it is," Tieria said as he walked back into the kitchen with the two empty soup bowls. He then grabbed the bag of ice that Saji had prepared for him and walked back to the couch. He started icing his side again as Feldt walked back in the room, "How is your temperature?"

"Thirty-eight point seven," Feldt said as she noticed the bag of ice that Tieria was holding to his side, "I'm sorry…is that because of me?"

"Don't worry about it," Tieria said, "I'm alright. Just go and take a nice cool shower, take some medicine and get some rest. Do you remember what you told me when I was feverish? You need more sleep when you're sick."

Feldt nodded, "Good night Tieria," She said, "And…thank you again."

"You're welcome," Tieria said, "Go get some sleep."

Feldt nodded and left the room while Tieria continued to ice his throbbing side.

* * *

When Tieria went to go to bed himself he checked on Feldt. She was sleeping almost restlessly and her skin was rather warm to the touch. He gently placed a cold compress on her forehead and she opened one of her teal eyes.

"Thank you Tieria…" She whispered.

"Go back to sleep Feldt," Tieria said softly as he gently stroked the girl's cheek, "You need your rest."

Feldt nodded and shut her eyes, "Good night…oniisan."

* * *

Saji to the rescue! Because let's face it, Tieria completely passed out and it's been mentioned in several official sources that Tieria is the worst cook among the Meisters. Sumeragi yelled at him (again). And I would definitely consider Feldt's little outburst to be majorly out of character. But I think everyone is a little out of character when they're sick and I'm sure Feldt's no exception. There may be a tiny bit of a wait on the next chapter, I have ten active fics that are always screaming for my attention. So I have to give some of the others some of my attention as well, and there are ten of them and only one of me. So, until next time! Ja ne minna-san!

_Ex-Shark-V-005_


End file.
